The Soldier and The Scientist
by cheri1
Summary: Human Doctor/Rose, 10th Doctor/OC, Sequel to Something Old, Something New. The Doctor and his family are now traveling together but a revelation sends them off on a hunt for a missing family member while an old enemy threatens to destroy them. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, I was gonna wait awhile but I love these characters too much to leave them alone so I'm gonna start the next story in the series while I work on everything else. This one will have more action too since I've gotten past all the background and character development. Hopefully it won't be another two hundred chapters either. But I hope everyone likes the next chapter in the saga. And now…on with the show…

Chapter One

Mingxia yawned and stretched when her alarm went off. She'd been travelling with her friends in the TARDIS for a little over a fortnight and she realized that very soon Imiko would return to offer her the choice of becoming a Time Lady. For the past couple of weeks ever since they returned from the resort planet they had been exploring different planets and time periods. For the most part it had been relatively peaceful with no major disturbances and Mingxia actually enjoyed going though time and space with her friends. But she could also sense their frustration at being left out of the loop since all of them were in constant contact telepathically and none of them really had the need to explain anything since they shared pretty much the same knowledge. She knew they didn't like having to stop and explain everything to her or have someone deliver a message to her because she wasn't linked with their minds but she was still hesitant to become a Time Lady since that was a huge change that required her changing not only her mind but her entire body as well. Still, they didn't push her or bring it up since they also realized it was a huge decision and for that she was grateful.

She put on her powder blue slippers that the TARDIS had provided and padded out of her bedroom towards the kitchen to make some breakfast. When she entered the kitchen she saw the two couples eating together. They smiled and bid her good morning and she did the same while she went past them to the refrigerator. The two brothers were reading the newspaper that they purchased every morning from a planet called Hytomia. The company who owned the newspaper had spaceships that went far and wide across the stars and secret bases underneath several planets including one on Earth in Siberia. The reporters who worked there and everywhere else gathered the news from all over the universe and transmitted back the major stories which were then put into the paper. The Doctor explained to Mingxia that Hytomia had several bases of their own from other planets and was a major stop on several intergalactic trade routes hence the need to report news from different planets. Both the Doctor and Alan liked to check it not only to keep up with what was going on but also to see if they could spot any burgeoning trouble that needed their attention. While they did that, their wives would eat with them and chat quietly. It was a morning ritual for them, one of several that they had adopted now in their married life.

Mingxia opened the fridge and pulled out some eggs, bacon and milk. She started to make herself breakfast when she heard the Doctor let out a curse. Alan lowered his paper while Rose and Rain looked at him.

"What is it, brother?" he said.

"What page are you on?" the Doctor said, glancing at his twin.

"Page 4 at the moment."

"Turn to page 6 and read the story at the bottom of the page."

Alan did that while Rose and Rain stared at the Doctor in confusion.

"Love, what's wrong?" Rain asked.

"Oh…crap!"

Rose and Rain looked at Alan.

"What is it?" Rose asked as Mingxia came over.

Alan sighed angrily and looked at the Doctor.

"The Shadow Proclamation is looking for my brother," he said to them.

"What?" Rain said, looking at her husband, "what do you they want with you?"

"I have a feeling they wanna talk to me about the whole scarpering before I could lead them into battle thing," the Doctor said.

"Are you gonna go talk to them?" Alan asked.

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair.

"I might as well since I'm sure they'll start posting the Judoon goons all over the universe in hopes of catching me somewhere. The crisis is over now. The twenty seven planets have been restored to their rightful places. So they can't charge me with anything since we sorted everything out. All the Shadow Architect can do is yell at me for leaving her and her cronies behind."

"Unless they want you to sort out something else," Alan said darkly.

The Doctor snorted.

"Well, if that's the reason they can look elsewhere for a servant. The High Council did that to me and I despised it and I'm not about to become the Shadow Proclamation's lackey and sort out their messes, half of which those rhinos probably caused in the first place. So if that's the Shadow Architect's intention, she's gonna be very disappointed when I tell her no."

He sighed.

"But I guess I'll finish eating and we can round up the others and get this over with so they can leave us alone," he said, picking up a piece of toast.

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The Judoon rushed into position when they heard the wheezing sound of the TARDIS. They withdrew their guns and held them out in front of them while the time ship finished materializing and stopped. The Doctor stepped outside the doors and let out an angry sigh when he put up his hands and spoke in the Judoon's language, identifying himself and his purpose. Once his identity was confirmed, the TARDIS's language circuits were unblocked and they were able to hear everything in English. The captain stepped forward while the rest of the Judoon lowered their guns and put them back in their holsters.

"What do you want?" the Doctor said angrily.

"Mistress Esmera wants a word with you!" the Judoon barked in his gruff voice.

"If it's about my taking off and leaving her behind…"

"No, Doctor, that's not what this is about."

The Shadow Architect came forward and glared at him.

"Oh, you mean you aren't gonna send me to my room without supper for leaving you and your ilk behind?" the Doctor said.

"No, I want to talk to you about someone interfering in planetary events and causing trouble. I…"

Esmera trailed off when Alan stepped outside the door.

"What? What is this? There are two of you?" she said in disbelief.

"Yeah, he's my twin brother, Alan," the Doctor said.

He glanced back when the others began to file out the door.

"And this is my family and friend, Mingxia. Now I know that all of them are just as curious to find out what this is all about as I am. So if you could…"

Just then, Rose stepped outside the door.

"THERE SHE IS!" Esmera screamed as she pointed at her.

Rose froze in shock and looked around.

"What? Where? Who?" she said.

"It is the transgressor! Arrest her!" the captain said.

Alan quickly jumped in front of his wife.

"Whoa! Don't you come anywhere near my wife, rhino boy! Back off, right now!"

"She is the transgressor! She must be arrested and brought to trial!" the captain said.

The others quickly formed a protective circle around her.

"You better back off now," Alan growled, "because if you so much as breathe wrong on my wife, I'll rip that horn off your face and shove it somewhere unpleasant!"

The Doctor put a hand on his brother's shoulder and he calmed down slightly.

"Wait a tic, now what's this all about?" the Doctor said trying to defuse the situation before it spiraled out of control.

"She is the one who is interfering and causing trouble!" Esmera said, pointing to Rose.

Everyone looked at each other.

"I haven't done anything," Rose protested.

"Where is it?" Esmera yelled at Rose.

"Where is what?" she yelled back at her.

"Your rocket!"

All of them were taken aback.

"Rocket? I don't' have a bleedin' rocket. I travel in a TARDIS, why would I need a rocket, lady? Whatever you think I've been doin' I haven't done it!"

"Just calm down, alright?" the Doctor said to her.

_The woman is bonkers, Doctor!_ She thought to him_. I haven't done anything._

_I know, Rose, just let me handle it, alright?_

She nodded and took a deep breath calming herself down. The Doctor stepped forward while the rest of his family clustered around Rose.

"Alright, suppose we all calm down and you tell us what's going on before we'll all do something we'll regret?" the Doctor said.

"We have gotten reports from our spies that a young blonde woman is traveling to different planets causing trouble," Esmera said.

"In a rocket?" the Doctor said.

"Yes."

The Doctor pointed back at the TARDIS.

"This isn't a rocket, Architect. You have the wrong woman. She travels with us everywhere we go and she hasn't left our side. If she did have a great big rocket stored inside here I'm sure I'd find out about it sooner or later. Now how about your boys go out and do some actual investigating instead of just accusing the first blonde woman they see."

"You do not have another woman out on her own?" Esmera said.

"No, this right here is my family and they all travel by my side. No one has gone off by themselves and that includes Rose."

Esmera frowned.

"Her name is Rose?"

"Yes, my name is Rose," she said.

"Oh, forgive me, that wasn't her name," Esmera said. "My apologies to all of you."

"There now, you see? You jumped to conclusions and accused an innocent woman of something she didn't do."

"My apologies, Doctor. You are the only one we know of that travels around and actively interferes in planetary events. We know you travel with companions and we thought perhaps this Jenny was one of yours."

"No, she's not one of mine. There's no one here named…"

He trailed off.

"Wait? What's her name?"

"Our spies report that she calls herself Jenny."

"And…she has blonde hair," the Doctor whispered.

"Yes, long blonde hair."

Alan put a hand on his brother's arm and Donna moved up behind him when the Doctor staggered back.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Esmera said.

"Jenny. It can't be," he whispered. "It can't be her. It just can't. She's…"

The others family members looked at each other in confusion.

"Brother, what if all of you were wrong? What if the regeneration had been delayed like it was in San Francisco?" Alan said.

"Doctor, what's goin' on?" Rose asked.

He swallowed hard.

"Jenny. My daughter," he said.

Everyone's eyes widened in realization except for Mingxia who was still confused.

"Daughter?" she said to Awinita.

She quickly explained who Jenny was while the others supported the Doctor who had now gone pale.

Alan glanced at Esmera.

"Can my brother please sit down?" he asked her.

She nodded.

"Yes, of course, but what's wrong?" she asked.

"We'll explain in a moment. Just please find him a seat, would ya?" Alan said annoyed.

Esmera nodded.

"Follow me," she said.

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They put a chair in the main hall and the Doctor sat on it quietly sipping some tea while his wife stood nearby rubbing his back. He had recovered for the most part and was staring off into space while his family explained who Jenny was to Esmera.

"So you believed this woman to be dead?" Esmera said walking over to him.

The Doctor nodded.

"I left her behind on Messaline. They wanted to give her a proper burial so I let them do it. She…she was dead for all intents and purposes. I don't know what happened. Like my brother said, it must have been a delayed regeneration but…"

He closed his eyes.

"Oh, she's alive, my daughter's alive," he whispered.

Rain knelt down beside him.

"And now we can find her and bring her back to our family," she said to him.

He smiled.

"Yes, my daughter traveling with us, part of the family, exactly where she belongs," he said.

Rain gave his hand a squeeze and laid her head against his arm.

"Where is she? Do you know where she went?" the Doctor asked Esmera.

"According to our spies, her last known location is Beltrop Eleven," she said.

"And is she still there?" the Doctor said.

"As far as we know. The spies haven't reported any rocket lifting off from the planet, at least none that matches the description of the one she uses."

"So, if she's causing trouble why haven't you lot nabbed her?" the Doctor said angrily.

"We've tried but she's always managed to elude us. We just recently found out that she was there and we've been lying in wait, biding our time and trying to trap her. But she's a clever one."

He gave her a smug smile.

"What about you?" Esmera said. "Will you help us?"

"If it means getting my daughter back, yes. I won't help you so you can arrest her and cart her off to some prison planet where she'll rot for these so-called crimes of hers."

"She has caused trouble!"

"She doesn't know any better. She was born from me and she's trying to follow in my footsteps. She isn't some wicked criminal, she's just naïve. If I can find her, then my family and I can give her the guidance she needs but I will not see her thrown in jail over a few innocent mistakes. I've probably done a lot worse that she has, in fact I know I have. Now will you call your goons off and let me go find my daughter or will I have to fight through them to get to her?"

"Very well, Doctor. Find her and bring her in line before she does more damage."

"I will, don't worry," the Doctor growled under his breath.

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Once they were back inside the TARDIS. The Doctor took it back into the vortex. He excused himself for a moment while his family gave him sympathetic nods. They agreed to pilot the TARDIS in the meantime while he recovered from the shock. They watched while he walked through the back door. Rose hugged Alan around the middle while he nuzzled her head.

"Oh Alan, I can't believe Jenny's alive," she said to him.

"I know, Starlight, this is wonderful news. Once we find her, our little family will be complete," he said to her.

They hugged one another, happy that there was someone else that they could add to their ever-growing family. They held each other tight hoping that they could find her quickly before something happened to her. Rain held on to them for a moment and then went off to find her husband.

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She found him in their bedroom. The Doctor looked up when she closed the door and walked over to him.

"Oh Latara, she's alive," he whispered.

"Yes, my love, and now she can come home to us," Rain said, settling down beside him.

She saw the pain in his eyes and took his hand.

"Thete, what is it?"

"Something's wrong," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't realize it? My hearts, we can't feel her," he said, sadly. "If she's my daughter then we should be able to feel her mind in ours but we can't. I've never been able to feel her which is why I didn't accept her as my own at first. Something's off. They did something to her when they made her. They gave her two hearts but not a full Time Lord mind. She's like Alan used to be. They must have used enough of my DNA to construct her and equip her to fight as a soldier but not enough to make her a full Time Lady."

"But you can fix this, can't you? Or Imiko could. Imiko is coming back to ask Mingxia if she wants to be a Time Lady. Can't she do the same for her? What about the chameleon arch? There must be some way to fix her so she'll be like us."

She held him while the Doctor lowered his head to her shoulder.

"I never should have left her behind," he said. "If I hadn't left her behind, she would have woke up on the TARDIS and been with me."

"You can't blame yourself for this, Thete. You thought she was dead."

"But I left her behind. I left her there with strangers. I kept denying her until almost the end of our time together. She woke up alone. What if she hates me, Latara? What if she doesn't want to be found now because she's angry at what I did and the way I treated her?"

"I don't believe that," Rain said, shaking her head. "You showed her how much you loved her before she died. She must know you care for her and that you only left her there because you thought she was dead."

"But she's never made any effort to contact me."

"And is it easy to contact you when you're traveling all over time and space?" she pointed out.

He nodded.

"I guess you're right but still…"

"Don't give up before you've started, Thete. Don't let all these doubts and fears about whether or not she'll love you get in your way. Just find her; at least so you can tell her you do love her."

He smiled and nodded. She sighed and hugged him tightly.

"You know," he said into her shoulder, "this means you're her stepmother."

He leaned up and grinned at her. Rain laughed.

"Hey, I wanted a child with you and now I have one," she said. "I would be honored to be her stepmother. But what about Bro? Is he her dad too?"

The Doctor thought.

"No, I think he'd probably prefer to think of himself as her uncle," he said. "At least I hope he'll think that because it'll get confusing for the poor girl pretty quickly trying to figure out which dad is which."

Rain laughed and nodded. They hugged one more time before both of them got up and walked back to the console room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Before leaving, Esmera gave them the name of one of her spies and directions to a meeting place. She told them that she would contact him and tell him to meet them in a pub called The Supernova on Xian, Beltrop Eleven's capitol and largest city. Both brothers were furious at the Architect. They knew the area around this pub and it was in the seediest, most dangerous part of the city. The section they were going to was populated by thugs, drug users, prostitutes and slave catchers who preyed on young women and sold them to the highest bidder as sex slaves. It wasn't the ideal place for anyone to meet let alone two men traveling with a bunch of young women. That was why both of them urged the women to stay behind in the safety of the TARDIS while they went to talk to the spy. Understandably, the women were all worried for them but they assured them that they would be alright and would keep their minds unblocked and would communicate with them from time to time so they wouldn't have to worry.

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They landed the TARDIS in a secluded alleyway hoping no one would notice it. After getting hugs from their friend and family members and giving them their promise that they would be careful, both men stepped out of the TARDIS and closed the door behind them. The Doctor glanced at the directions and motioned for his brother to follow him.

"I can't believe she arranged the meeting here," the Doctor muttered to his brother. "Is she insane?"

"Who knows, brother? I just hope Jenny's alright," Alan replied.

They wandered along the pavement glancing around at the seedy slum. On almost every street corner, there were prostitutes in skimpy outfits and body suits calling out to them to come and have sex with them. Rubbish was strewn all over the alleyways and doorways of the houses and in some of them people lay passed out or very nearly so from the drugs they had consumed. They jerked their heads off to their left when they heard two angry voices in an alleyway threatening to slit someone's throat if they didn't pay them.

"Oh God, Jenny, what have you gotten yourself into?" Alan said.

Fears of her being harmed or enslaved caused them to speed up. After ten minutes they finally found the pub. It was an old wooden building with a large front window and a wooden sign above the door that said The Supernova with a painting of one underneath it. The window had several little holes in it that had been covered by paper and some substance resembling gum. They entered the pub and wrinkled their nose when the pungent smell of an opiate like substance reached them. The source of it was a group of men in the corner who were slumped together on huge pillows while they smoked hookahs. There were several people at the bar nursing their drinks while another rough looking group played cards at a table near the back.

"Charming," Alan commented.

As they walked up to the bar, everyone who wasn't completely drugged up stopped what they were doing and looked at them, scoffing at their pretty boy looks. The brothers ignored them and walked up to the bartender, a heavyset man with thinning black hair and a huge scar running the length of his forehead. He eyed them suspiciously when they approached.

"What'd ya want?" he growled at them.

"We're here to see Jax," the Doctor said to him. "Is he here?"

"Who wants to know?"

"We were sent here by The Shadow Proclamation. The Architect sent us to speak with him."

"In that case, that'd be me."

They looked down the bar at a man sitting at the end. He was tall and thin with close cropped brown hair and scars running down his left cheek and under his right eye. He had on a white, slightly soiled t-shirt, black trousers, black trainers and he was wearing a dirty tan coat that hung open. He staggered a bit and both brothers could smell alcohol on his breath but he still had enough of his senses to speak coherently.

"I'll handle this, Ben," he said to him.

Ben nodded and moved off.

"Follow me, we'll talk in the back of the pub," he said.

He grabbed his drink on the way over and led them to the very back of the building by the hookah smokers. The brothers glanced at them but those who were still awake turned their bleary, bloodshot eyes to them for a moment before they ignored them and went back to smoking. Jax sat down across from them.

"You want to know about this Jenny?" he said to them.

They nodded.

"Yes, is she still here?" the Doctor said.

"As far as I know, she is," he said.

"Is she safe?" Alan said.

"As far as I know."

"It's vitally important that we find her," the Doctor said. "Can you tell us where she went?"

"That depends."

"Depends on what?" Alan growled.

"Depends on how much money you have," he drawled.

He gasped when the Doctor grabbed him by his shirt and stared at him with hard, cold eyes.

"Don't even think of bribing us," he snarled. "We're here because your boss told us to come here. She's paying your salary so don't think you can get away with making a little extra on the side. This is my daughter you're spying on and I want her found as quickly as possible before something happens to her. Now I'll ask again and I want a straight answer…can you tell us where she went?"

He let go and Jax smoothed down his rumpled shirt.

"Yes, I know where she went. She's hiding in an abandoned building a couple of blocks from here."

Both men paled at that.

"Here, in the roughest part of the city?" the Doctor said.

Jax nodded.

"Oh God, please let Jenny be alright," Alan whispered.

"Take us to her, now!" the Doctor demanded.

"I will, but it won't be that easy to get to her."

"Why?" both of them said in unison.

Well, she has the place booby trapped. That's why the Judoon have been reluctant to move in and arrest her. One officer tried it and nearly got impaled by a flying piece of glass. It's dangerous to go in there.

"She won't hurt us though," Alan said. "We're her family. Please take us to her. We want her away from this place before she does get hurt or killed."

"But The Shadow Proclamation wants her."

"I made a deal with them," the Doctor said. "They've agreed to let me have her if I keep an eye on her and sees she stays out of trouble. Now for the last time, take us to her."

Jax nodded. He downed the last of his drink and motioned to them.

"Follow me then," he said.

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He led them down the crowded pavement to Jenny's hiding place. On the way there, Alan made contact with his family and told them what had happened and where they were going. He assured them all that they would be back soon and then cut off communication.

Jax led them to a rundown building nestled between two houses which looked to be in just as bad a shape as it was. The windows of the dilapidated building were boarded up and the door was hanging open and slightly off its hinges at the top. The Doctor glanced at Alan and slowly climbed the steps to the door. Tentatively he peered into the darkness.

"Jenny?" he yelled. "Jenny, it's me. It's your father. Are you in here?"

He glanced back when Alan came up beside him.

"Move carefully, brother, if the place is booby trapped, we have to be on our toes," he said.

Alan nodded. Both of them slowly walked inside.

"Jenny? Are you here?" the Doctor yelled as he stared at the darkness.

He fumbled through his trouser pocket and pulled out a little pocket flashlight. He turned it on and shined the beam around. The interior was dusty with dirt on the floors and cobwebs in every nook and cranny. Smashed up furniture was strewn all over the floor. The brothers moved slowly, every sense attuned to their surroundings. Both of them called out to Jenny, assuring her she'd be alright and begging her to show herself to them. Suddenly, Alan heard a soft twang off to his right. He grabbed his brother's head and jerked him down as a shard of glass whizzed by them and implanted itself in the wall. The Doctor shined his flashlight on it.

"Thank you, Te'lesau," he said to Alan.

"You're welcome."

They moved on, the Doctor shining his light all over the place keeping his eyes peeled for any other traps. They nearly stepped into another one. There was a hole in the floor that had been hidden by a heavy faded rug. They looked into it and saw spikes made out of glass fragments and pieces of wood that had the ends whittled to a sharp point.

"Jenny's been busy," Alan said.

"At least she's rigged up some defenses especially since this isn't the nicest part of town," the Doctor replied.

They kept on going. As they passed by a room, Alan suddenly got a hunch. He stopped his brother and pointed to the slightly ajar door of the room. They shared a look and nodded. Both of them crept up to the door and paused a moment. The Doctor grabbed the door handle and slowly opened it. He shined the light in and both of them froze when they noticed there was someone on the other side of the room underneath a heavy grey blanket. The Doctor's hearts leapt in his chest and he and his brother slowly moved towards the lump. They paused a moment and stared down at it. Whoever was under there was thin and female sized. The Doctor's hearts were beating out of his chest while he slowly knelt down and poked the blanket with his finger.

"Jenny?" he said.

There was no response and the Doctor's hearts stopped. Fears of what might have happened plagued his mind and he slowly brought his hand up to the top of the blanket, terrified of what he might find. He hesitated a moment and then pulled the blanket back.

He gasped when Jenny suddenly sprang to her feet and it was only his keen agility that saved him from getting slashed across the face with a machete. Shocked, he dropped the flashlight and stumbled back towards the door.

"Jenny, it's me! It's the Doctor!" he said when he noticed Jenny was readying herself to spring again.

Jenny paused, hunched down with the machete up in front of her face.

"Dad?" she said.

The Doctor, overjoyed at seeing her again, picked up the flashlight and shined it on his face.

"Jenny, it's me."

"Dad!"

She dropped the machete and ran to his arms. The Doctor wrapped them around her and buried his face in the top of her head while a tear of joy ran down his face.

"Jenny, it's you. It's really you," he said, stepping back and looking at her.

"Dad, how did you find me?"

"Um…well, it seems you've been causing a bit of trouble and you've aroused the ire of The Shadow Proclamation which is not a very smart thing to do."

"You mean those rhino things?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry, dad. I heard you calling for me but I figured it was one of them and that's why I didn't answer."

"It's alright, Jenny, I understand. I'm just glad you're safe now."

He stroked her cheek.

"I'm sorry I left you behind, my daughter. I didn't think you were alive."

"It's alright, dad, I understand. I just stole a rocket and I've been exploring on my own."

"Well, this is not the place for you to go exploring. It's dangerous for a young woman to be here on her own and you're coming back to my TARDIS with me where you'll be safe. But now I want to introduce you to someone. "

He nodded at Alan and shined his light on his face. Jenny looked from him to her father and back again.

"Hello, Jenny, I'm Alan. I'm your uncle," he said to her.

Jenny kept looking back and forth at them.

"But…you look exactly alike."

"Well, that's a long story. But for now, let's get you back to the TARDIS so you'll be safe and you can meet the rest of your family," the Doctor said.

The Doctor put his hand on her back while they walked out of the room. They stared to walk across the room when Jax suddenly put up his hand.

"What?" the Doctor said angrily.

"Hand her over."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Hand her over, there's a reward for her capture."

He started to walk towards her but Alan blocked his path while the Doctor held his daughter protectively.

"I believe you were told that Jenny is our responsibility now," Alan growled.

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind when I remembered I can get 500 credits if I turn her in. Actually, I can get even more if I turn her over to the slave catchers. A pretty thing like that is worth at least…"

He gagged when Alan's hand shot out at lightning speed and squeezed his windpipe.

"If I were you, I'd turn and walk right out the door without collecting your credits," he snarled. "Because both me and my brother are the wrong sort of people to mess with. I don't know if this was your plan all along but you're not gonna go through with it. Now get out of our way or I'll make you sorry you were ever born."

He threw him roughly to the floor. Jax scooted back along the floor and then turned and ran towards the door as fast as he could. Alan breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to his brother and niece.

"Thank God we found you," he said. "You were right to rig this place with traps if that's the kind of people who were after you."

"Are…you my dad too?"

He smiled.

"In a technical sense I am, but I don't want to be. This is your true father. I'm his brother so that makes me your uncle. So you can call me that, Uncle Alan."

Jenny nodded. The brothers glanced at each other.

"Come, Jenny, we're gonna take you back to the TARDIS and you can meet your aunts and your stepmother," the Doctor said.

Jenny frowned in confusion but she took her dad's hand and let them lead her out of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The brothers escorted Jenny back through the city towards their TARDIS. Both of them were on red alert, their senses attuned to any danger, any kind of threat towards the woman they cared about. There were a few people who looked her way but they quickly turned their heads when the Doctor glared at them. As they walked, he glanced down at his daughter. She was a lot thinner than he remembered and the clothes she had worn on Messaline were dirty and worn out but other than that and the tired expression on her face, she seemed fine. He noticed with a bit of amusement that she kept looking back at Alan with a bewildered expression on his face. He gave her a warm smile and winked at her when he finally caught her eye.

"I know this looks odd but trust me, there's a logical explanation for it," he said after he caught her looking at him for the third time.

She nodded.

"I'm just so tired," she said.

They chuckled.

"I bet," the Doctor said fondly. "But don't worry, my daughter, we'll get you back to the TARDIS and get you sorted out before we explain everything."

As they walked, Alan sent a telepathic message to the others telling them that Jenny had been found. Both brothers smiled when they felt everyone rejoice in their minds.

They made it back to the TARDIS without any incident and the Doctor unlocked the door. Everyone was waiting for them in the console room and they hurried towards them while the Doctor led his weary daughter up the ramp. Alan shut the doors behind them and came up the ramp behind them while everyone stopped a few feet ahead of them. Jenny smiled at Donna who smiled back and waved. But she stared at the others in confusion.

"Jenny, this is your family," the Doctor said to her.

He took Rain's hand and brought her forward.

"This is my wife, Rain," he said.

"Hi, Jenny," Rain said, smiling.

"Hi," Jenny replied.

He pointed to Rose.

"This is Alan's wife, Rose."

"Hi, Jenny."

Jenny waved back. The Doctor pointed to the others.

"And this is my sister, Awinita and also Donna is my sister, but you already know her and this is our friend, Mingxia. Everyone, this is my daughter, Jenny."

They murmured their hellos but still kept their distance since they knew she was still trying to process all this.

"Well, let's get you a hot shower and a change of clothes, first thing," the Doctor said. "These clothes don't suit you."

Jenny nodded and everyone stepped back while he led her away towards the back door. They smiled when Jenny looked around at the interior in shock but she didn't say anything. Once she was gone, the others walked over to the console so they could take the TARDIS into the vortex.

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While Jenny showered, the Doctor fixed her a couple of ham sandwiches, some crisps and a glass of milk. Meanwhile, the TARDIS had taken away her worn and soiled clothes and replaced them with blue jeans, a pink t-shirt, white knickers and socks and white plimsols. She made up a room next door to Donna's and filled her closet with feminine clothes and decorated the room in a basic feminine manner until Jenny could tell her what she wanted done with it. Jenny finished with the shower, dried herself off and used the hairbrush the TARDIS had provided. After she was done, she walked out into the bedroom, saw the clothes and examined them before putting them on. Then the TARDIS made a direct path to the kitchen where the Doctor was waiting at the kitchen table with the food. He smiled when he saw what she was wearing.

"Much better," he said, nodding, "that's more suited to you than the soldier outfit."

He indicated the food.

"Come and eat. I figured you're hungry."

"I am."

He nodded.

"You need to gain back some weight. You're even thinner than I am and that's not good," he teased.

Jenny sat down and ate. She listened while the Doctor filled her in on what had happened since he first met her. She sat and listened to him even after she had finished eating. It took almost three hours to get through everything but at the end the Doctor smiled and took her hand.

"Jenny, you got in trouble because you were mucking things up without knowing what is safe to interfere with and what isn't. That's why The Shadow Proclamation was after you. But we can teach you how to do this properly. All of us want you here, Jenny. I know it's a lot to take in right now especially since you suddenly got a family but we do love you. I love you and I want you here with us. Will you stay here with us?"

"I want to. I thought it'd be fun going off on my own but it's tiring when you're doing everything by yourself."

"Tell me about it," the Doctor said. "But now you don't have to do that. You have people here who'll love and support you and a bunch of other friends besides this. And I know it'll take some time getting adjusted to Alan but I think you'll be able to tell us apart soon enough since he doesn't act exactly like me. But if you aren't sure, I'm the one who's always in the suits and he wears the t-shirts and trousers, alright?"

Jenny nodded.

"Now if you want my wife to be your stepmother, that's fine. Rain would be thrilled for you to call her mum or step mum but if you're not comfortable doing that, she understands. Same with calling Alan uncle or the other women your aunts. If you wanna use our first names instead, we'll understand. Like I said, this is a lot for you to take in at once and it'll take time for you to adjust but please know that we are here for you and you don't have to be alone anymore. There's no more need to hide out in abandoned buildings and be terrified that someone's gonna hurt ya. I and everyone else on this ship will protect you with our lives, I promise you that."

He tightened his hold on her hand.

"And…I'm so sorry for the way I treated you before. Calling you an echo and denying that you're my daughter. I was being a complete idiot when I said those things and I don't think that way now. You are my daughter and you always will be. But please, please forgive me, Jenny for mistreating you like that."

Jenny got up from her seat and embraced him.

"I forgive you, Dad," she said.

His hearts swelled with love and he gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

"I meant what I said, Jenny. We're gonna have a blast going through time and space," he murmured to her. "I'm gonna show you the wonders of the universe and teach you how to fight monsters properly."

He looked at how thin she was.

"But I think you better lay off the running for awhile, eh?" he said, winking.

He hugged her again.

"I'm so proud of you, my Angel, so very proud," he said.

"I love you, dad."

He grinned from ear to ear.

"I love you too."

They pulled away and he rubbed her arm.

"There is one more thing I need to you to do though," he said.

"Yes?"

He smiled.

"I need you to come with me to the med bay and let me run a few tests, alright?" he said gently.

"Why? What's wrong?"

He stared at her sadly.

"There's something wrong with your genetic makeup, my beloved daughter. Whatever they did to you they altered your DNA so you're not a full Time Lady. I want to rectify that so you can become what you were meant to be."

"Then…I really am just an echo?"

"No, no, you're not. It's not your fault, it's theirs. That bloody machine apparently took enough DNA to make you but they didn't complete the process. You're not an echo of me; please forget I ever said that."

She nodded.

"Will the tests hurt?"

He smiled fondly.

"No, Angel, they won't, I promise."

She nodded and stood up with him while he escorted her to the med bay.

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Jenny lay on a bed in the med bay. Her shoes were off and at the end of the bed while she lay underneath a white blanket with her head on a pillow. Above her was a long scanner that ran the length of her body. The Doctor had activated it earlier and a laser light swept horizontally over her from head to toe before the machine gave him a paper readout of the results. He was currently studying them with a furrowed brow while Jenny rested. He telepathically summoned his brother to him and Jenny watched while they quietly discussed the results on the other side of the room.

"It's almost the same situation you were in," the Doctor said to him quietly. "Except she does have two hearts. But she doesn't have her respiratory bypass system and the rest of her body is human-like so I don't know how in the hell she regenerated and not only that, managed to keep her same appearance. I need to do a more detailed brain scan but I have a feeling it's gonna tell me it's an incomplete Time Lord mind. Whatever those bastards did when they created her on Messaline they made a complete dog's dinner of her genetic makeup. It's like she's a mishmash of human and Time Lord elements but everything is random like the two hearts mixed with the human-like body. No wonder we can't sense her, brother. I don't think her own body knows what she is."

"So, they basically dampened most of the Time Lord characteristics in her body when they made her," he said.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, I think they were going for a more humanoid body and my two hearts got mixed in with it. This cursory brain scan indicates she has above average intelligence but not as much intelligence as the rest of us and my theory on that is they wanted her to be clever but not clever enough to actually question orders and do her own thing. Luckily, that happened anyway but still, I'm hesitant to put her under the chameleon arch at the moment, not without doing some more tests. Anyway, she's not strong enough to withstand it at the moment. She's severely underweight and there's evidence of extreme fatigue and malnourishment and dehydration. We have to fix that before we can fix the rest of her body. Perhaps when Imiko comes back, she can fix her body and make her a full Time Lady but for now I just want to concentrate on getting her well again and getting her strength back."

Alan nodded and they turned to see Jenny watching them quietly. They smiled and walked over to her.

"Am I alright?" she asked them.

"Well," the Doctor said, crouching down next to her. "You're a little thin but that's nothing a basket of beef burgers won't cure. You're very tired and worn out and you're a little malnourished and dehydrated but that's easily fixed. As for your body, it's been put together wrong for a Time Lady but it functions which is the most important thing right now. We need to get you healthy and then we'll worry about that problem. Other than that, you're perfectly fine. A young, intelligent woman who is the apple of our eyes."

Jenny glanced at Alan who smiled broadly as he gazed at her lovingly.

"In the meantime, why don't we escort you to your room so you can get some sleep, eh?" the Doctor said.

"No wait, I wanna stay up a bit," Jenny said. "I wanna get to know everyone better."

The Doctor nodded.

"Okay, we can do that. Um…how about we watch a DVD in the living room? Would you like that?"

"A movie, you mean?"

He nodded.

"Okay, I can do that."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. Both of them helped her to sit up and they rubbed her back while she put on her shoes. Once she was finished they helped her to stand and held her hands while they led her to the living room.

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All of them sat together on the sofa watching the remake of King Kong. The TARDIS made them a couple bowls of popcorn and teleported in some sodas, hot tea and milk. Jenny ate a little bit of the popcorn and drank a bit of milk with it but mainly she was fascinated with the movie since she had never seen one before. She sat beside her father with Rain sitting on the other side of him. Rose was next to her and the others were clustered around their feet. Everyone tried to make her feel as welcome as they could and they smiled when they saw how much fun she was having. She was utterly fascinated by King Kong and couldn't believe that he was a computer program and not a living gorilla. During the movie, she snuggled up against the Doctor who was utterly thrilled and he put his arm around her shoulder and rested it there while her eyes stayed riveted to the screen.

After the movie, they took what was left of the snacks and went to the game room. Jenny sat beside her father while they sat at a table and played poker and euchre. The Doctor tried to teach her how to play so she could join in but mostly she wanted to just sit and observe everyone. She sat there listening to everyone laughing and joking and she relaxed completely for the first time since she had been born. She glanced over and smiled when she saw Rain giggling with the Doctor when he tried to look at her cards and gave her little pokes in the ribs. They shared a kiss and Jenny smiled noticing how much in love they were. She also saw it with Alan and Rose who were play fighting and teasing one another. She had never seen anything like it. There was certainly no loving and bonding among the soldiers on Messaline, it had all been business and fighting and war and then her life afterwards was a lonely one constantly going from one place to another, only occasionally making a friend and then dropping them when she had to leave. She had never had a stable home life like this so it was intriguing watching this new family of hers interacting with each other. For the first time ever she felt content and happy and safe.

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At length, Jenny got tired and the Doctor excused himself from the latest poker hand to escort her to bed. They walked down the hallway towards her bedroom.

"Are you going to sleep?" Jenny asked him.

"I don't sleep all that much, Angel. No one does except for Mingxia since she's human. But we'll all be up and around if you need anything so don't hesitate to call any of us, alright?"

She nodded.

They reached her bedroom and the Doctor kissed her cheek.

"I love you, Angel, remember that," he said.

"I love you too, Dad."

The Doctor beamed at that and rubbed her arm.

"Good night, Jenny," he said to her.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"The others. Do they love me too?"

"Yes."

"Even Rain?"

He smiled.

"Yes, Rain loves you."

"Will she mind if I do call her Mum?"

"Not at all. I think she'd love it."

"Then that's what I want to do. I watched all of you tonight and I want to be a part of your family. I want what you have."

He held her close.

"Our hearts are all open to you, my beloved daughter. There is no need to ask for love here. It is given freely, I promise you that. Everyone adores you just as much as I do and we'd love it if you became a member of our family."

She smiled and nodded.

"Can…can I see Mum then for a moment?"

He nodded and sent a telepathic message to his wife. She joined them a moment later.

"Yes?" she said to the Doctor.

"I believe Jenny has something she wants to say to you," the Doctor said.

"Yes, Jenny?"

"I…I was just telling Dad that I want to call you Mum, is that okay?"

The Doctor grinned when he felt the rush of joy in her mind and saw the ecstatic look on her face.

"Yes, Jenny, you can call me Mum if you want," she said trying not to cry.

"Thank you."

They embraced each other while the Doctor watched with quiet joy.

"Good night, Mum," Jenny said.

"Good night, sweetheart. We'll all be awake if you need us."

Jenny nodded. She walked into her bedroom and with one last smile shut the door. The Doctor put his arm around his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek while they walked back to the game room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Doctor escorted Rain back to the game room. They resumed playing but the Doctor told them what he had found from her tests while they did. All of them were heartsick knowing that Jenny wasn't a full Time Lady and that she had been through so much trauma and hardship since leaving Messaline.

"Not to worry," the Doctor said to them. "I'll have the TARDIS make up a health shake that will help her get her weight back safely as well as give her all the nutrients she needs. She'll have to drink it with her breakfast for awhile but that should help with that problem along with just some good food and tender loving care from all of us. What Jenny saw tonight, the way we interacted she wants to be a part of that and she even asked Rain if she could call her Mum so I think she'll fit in nicely with us. With our help she'll be an expert monster fighter in no time."

"Dad?"

They looked around and saw Jenny standing in the doorway still dressed in her clothes. The Doctor laid his cards down and walked over to her.

"Yes, Angel?"

"I can't sleep in there. Do you mind if I sleep here?"

"Not at all. Come with me."

He led her over to a large comfy sofa. The TARDIS supplied him with a soft pillow and blankets and he put the pillow at the end while she lay down. She put the covers over her and he gave her a kiss on the forehead. All of them smiled at her and bid her goodnight and the Doctor walked back over to the table. Jenny watched them playing cards and talking for awhile before she finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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She awoke the next morning and was greeted by the TARDIS's affectionate nudge and a loving rumble. She slowly walked out of the room and the TARDIS guided her to the kitchen where everyone except Mingxia was sitting. They looked up and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Jenny," the Doctor said getting up from his place. "I have something for you if you'd like to sit for me."

Jenny walked over to his place and sat down. She smiled at Rain.

"Good morning, Mum," she said.

"Good morning, Hon," she replied.

The Doctor sat a small plate of eggs, bacon and toast in front of her along with the shake. He pointed to it.

"I need you to drink one of these for me every morning for awhile. It'll help you gain your weight back and make you healthy."

She nodded and quietly ate breakfast while the Doctor stood nearby and read his paper. She joined in the other's conversation on occasion but mainly she just listened and enjoyed the interaction again. She took a drink of the shake which tasted exactly like chocolate and licked her lips loving the taste of it. She laughed when Mingxia came into the room half asleep and the other teased her about being a sleepyhead.

"Oh be quiet, all of you," Mingxia said as they laughed.

"You ever stop to think that all that sleep is what's making you sleepy?" Awinita said.

"Yeah, look at us. We sleep about twenty minutes once a fortnight and we're not coming in here yawning," Rose added.

"You need to quit sleeping and making yourself so sleepy," Donna added.

"Be quiet!" she said as they laughed. "I'm so sorry I'm not this Time Lady with tons of stamina and it takes me awhile to wake up in the morning."

"Well, when Imiko comes back, become a Time Lady and you'll get tons of stamina," Rain said to her.

"Yeah and then I'm stuck staying up all night with nothing to do."

"We never have that problem," Awinita said.

"Yeah, we always manage to find something to do," Donna added.

"We go back to Hytomia ever morning to get a paper," Alan said rustling his for emphasis. "Why don't you get your lazy butt up and accompany us?"

"Get me up and I will. You never get me up."

They stared at each other.

"You never ask to get up. We just assume you wanna sleep in," the Doctor said. "In future, we'll get you up as well."

"Can I come too?" Jenny asked.

He smiled at her.

"Course you can, Angel. If we're all going then perhaps we can get some breakfast there. Most times we only pause long enough to go to the newsagents for a paper and then we are back in the vortex. No reason why we can't stay longer if everyone wants to take a look around. And I know that it won't be too stressful. There's no monsters there that I know of and at the moment that's what you need, a break from all that."

"We can also go and get the parts for their sonic screwdrivers and the psychic paper as well," Alan said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. We can do that today if everyone's up for it."

Everyone nodded.

"Molto bene, we'll eat and then we'll do that," he said.

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They took the TARDIS to Darius which was the universe's largest maker of electronics and electronic parts. All the cities had at least twenty electronic shops scattered around them in various locations. The Doctor took them to Darian, the capital which had the biggest electronic department store on the planet. All of them stayed together as a group while the two brothers walked through with a trolley and gathered what they need including the crucial component that gave the screwdriver its thousands of settings. Everyone except Mingxia and Jenny were completely fascinated by all the gadgets. Mingxia smiled at Jenny.

"I guess we're both in the same boat," she said to her. "I'm not turned on by all these electronic things like they are."

She shook her head.

"I'm not either. I'm not even sure what it is Dad and Uncle Alan are doing."

"Hear that? She called me Uncle Alan," Alan said to his brother.

Alan smiled at her.

"We're going to be making sonic screwdrivers for everyone," he said.

"What's that?" Jenny said.

"Remember when we were in the prison cell and you told me I was using a weapon to fight back?" the Doctor said to her.

"Yes."

"That was the screwdriver."

"Oh, okay. Um…am I getting one?"

"Yes. And we will teach you how to use it along with everyone else," he said.

"And after that we'll go and get the psychic paper," Alan added. "That way everyone will be equipped to handle any emergency that comes their way."

They finish gathering up the components they needed and went up to the front.

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Once they were back in the TARDIS they went and retrieved the psychic papers. The shop they purchased them from had a weird old man who seemed somewhat sinister. The shop had a lot of odd items in it from shrunken hands and heads to crystals and little glowing glass orbs. The Doctor used his credit stick and paid for them. The man went in the back and emerged a moment later with a small stack of thin brown wallets. The Doctor thanked him, pocketed the wallets and they all left the shop.

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Once they were back in the TARDIS, the Doctor passed out the psychic papers to everyone. They examined them while Alan and the Doctor excused themselves and took the components into the lab to build the screwdrivers. The Time Ladies showed Mingxia and Jenny how to use them and then they amused themselves for awhile by projecting silly things onto the sheet of paper and showing it to everyone else.

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Eventually they got bored of that, put the wallets in their pockets and headed back into the living room for another movie. Jenny sat next to her mother and Rose sat on the other side of her with Donna on the end. Awinita and Mingxia were on the floor. They watched Mamma Mia since neither Donna nor Jenny had ever seen it. They were laughing when everyone sang loudly at the top of their lungs. In fact they were having such a good time that Alan eventually had to telepathically ask what they were doing.

_We're watching Mamma Mia, love,_ Rose thought to him.

_Well, keep on watching it because the Doctor and I love all the good vibes we're picking up off ya, _he thought to them.

_Are you still working on the screwdrivers? _

_Yes, we each got one done and we're workin' on our second ones now. And now that you're all in there enjoying Mamma Mia we're both reaping the benefits in here._

All of the Time Ladies smiled at that.

_Is Jenny alright?_ the Doctor thought to them.

_Yes,_ they all thought back to him.

_Good. I'm glad she's having just as good a time as the rest of you. Well, enjoy the film while we slave away making your screwdrivers._

They smiled at each other and turned their attention back to the movie.

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After the movie, all of them went off to their rooms to rest and relax. Rain started to go back to her bedroom when she heard Jenny call her name.

"Mum?" she asked.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I...uh…was wondering if we could take a walk? I mean, I don't really know you and I want to."

She smiled.

"Sure, honey, I'll walk with you."

"Thanks."

They headed off down the corridor.

"How did you meet Dad?" she asked her.

Rain smiled and told her the story while they walked. The TARDIS guided them and they eventually came to a door at the end of a long corridor. Rain opened it and was taken aback when she saw a park inside it. They stepped through and looked around. There was simulated sunlight high above with a huge clearing, a crystal clear lake and a lush forest off to their right. They watched while a large blanket appeared next to the lake and the two of them went and sat on it.

"This TARDIS is amazing," Jenny said.

"Yes it is. I love it," Rain said. "I fell in love with it the first time my brother showed it to me in my mind and when I came here I realized that nothing I saw in my mind could compare to it. I can't imagine any other home now and I'm sure you'll feel the same way eventually."

"I hope so, Mum. I just never imagined that Dad would ever find me again."

"I'm glad he did. I'm glad you survived your shooting. Your father was heartsbroken when he thought you died. He's had so much pain and darkness in his life. Then he found me and found our family and now he has his daughter back. And once he figures out a way to make you into a full Time Lady like us then we can be together and travel."

"I want that so much. I don't wanna be different. I hate that I can't communicate telepathically like you can."

"I hate it too, sweetheart. It's wonderful being able to feel my other family members in my mind and talk to them and know that they love me unconditionally. Everyone loves you unconditionally too, Jenny, but there's nothing like feeling that love reflected in your own mind. But don't worry, we'll find a way to fix this so you can feel what we feel. Imiko, who transformed me into a Time Lady, is coming back to see about Mingxia and I'm sure she'll be glad to fix what they did to you and give you back everything that was lost. But in the meantime, you're a part of us one hundred percent. That's why my husband and brother are in there right now working on a screwdriver for you and why you got psychic paper. That shows that they consider you family since they wouldn't give that to just anyone."

"Are you sure you want me as a daughter though? I mean you can't be much older than I am."

Rain laughed.

"I know but I still don't mind being a mother to you. I'm honored that you want to call me mum. Your father and I discussed having children but he didn't think he could do it because of the infertility he might have. But now here you are, his daughter and my adopted daughter, and I'll love you just as much as my own flesh and blood."

Jenny smiled and they embraced tightly.

"Welcome home, Jenny," she whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, Mum," she replied.

They broke apart and sat side by side enjoying the simulated sunny day.

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Finally after three hours the brothers emerged with the screwdrivers finished. They passed them out to everyone but frowned when Rain and Jenny weren't with them. The Doctor brought his wife's mind forward and started to talk to her when suddenly the TARDIS intervened.

_They are asleep, my beloveds,_ she thought to them. _Follow me and I'll show you._

The Doctor and Alan followed her mental guidance to the park room. They stepped inside and smiled broadly when they noticed the two of them were fast asleep side by side on the blanket. They walked over and squatted down staring at them with love. The Doctor reached out and stroked both his wife and his daughter's hair happy that both of them were so peaceful now. He was glad they were bonding since he knew the Jenny needed a female influence in her life as well as a male's. He looked at his brother and jerked his head towards the door. Alan nodded and they gave them one last look before they walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

(Meanwhile, ten thousand years in the future …)

"Silence child, this won't hurt much. I thought your race was supposed to be warlike and brave," she chided while she extracted a blood sample from the trembling girl.

The woman was part of a forest dwelling tribe, a race of shape shifters which was what was fascinating to her. She wanted to see if she could isolate the shape shifting gene in her DNA and perhaps synthesize an elixir from it that would allow anyone to have the ability. The girl, a Memorphios, had been lured into her TARDIS by her faithful servant, Azran, who pretended to be in love with her. After that, the TARDIS, who at the time had been disguised as a wooden hut, simply imprisoned the girl and gassed her into unconsciousness until the time she was ready to experiment on her.

"I have no further need of her at the moment," she said, dispassionately. "Take her back to her cell."

"Yes, Mistress Rani," Azran said.

The child stared at him with wide frightened eyes as he grabbed a syringe gun and prepared some sedative for the restrained child. She shape shifted into a humanoid lion when he drew near and roared at him while she tried to fight her way out of the metal restrains binding her to the table. The Rani pressed a button on a remote control and electric shocks from the restraints coursed through her body causing her to lose her concentration and revert back to her humanoid form. While she convulsed, Azran quickly shot her up with the sedative and she began to get drowsy while the Rani stopped the shocks. Azran put the gun down and waited until she was asleep before releasing her and taking her towards the back of the TARDIS so she could be put with the other people the mistress kidnapped for experimentation.

The Rani put a bit of blood on a clear slide and put it under her high powered microscope so she could give it a cursory examination. While she was doing that her servant came back in the room. He was an orphaned human she had found while purchasing some lab equipment from a dealer on a distant planet. Someone had thrown him into a rubbish bin when he was only a few days old. At first she was going to leave him there to die but then she decided that perhaps the child had some eventual use as a servant and assistant for her lab. She took him back to her TARDIS, named him and raised him making sure he bonded completely with her so there would be no disloyalty in him. She stopped him from calling her mum though since she had only disdain for a sentimental title like that. Ever since he was old enough to understand her commands, he had been a faithful servant and she was glad of his help especially with the people she experimented on. She left it to him to do all the menial work and taking care of the specimens, freeing her up for her all important scientific work. He had grown into quite a strong specimen himself. He was muscular from lifting people and lab equipment over the years and had a broad face with short sandy blonde hair with bangs that came over his forehead. He had piercing blue eyes and a square jaw. She had to admit he was quite handsome for a human.

As for her, she had regenerated about a hundred years ago after a lab experiment went wrong and exploded near her. She had wavy blonde hair that cascaded down past her shoulders with green eyes, alabaster skin and a soft face that she had to admit was quite flattering. She wondered for a moment what her ancient enemy would think of her. Would he find her attractive? The last time she had seen him face to face he had been a short little man with a Scottish burr and an odd penchant for wearing question marks on his clothes. That had been a couple of centuries before the Time War when the High Council summoned her back under the pretense of forgiving her for her unethical experiments and allowing her to conduct her lab work in peace. She was infuriated when she learned the real reason they called her back was so they could recruit both her and Koschei to act as cannon fodder for their war along with the Doctor.

Koschei stupidly agreed to be a pawn, hoping there would be some sort of profit to be made from participating in the war and playing both sides for his own gain but she was above such barbaric matters, preferring to stick to her first love, science. But the council would have none of it and she ended up fighting her way out, killing a few guards in the process before she reached her TARDIS and headed straight for the future, getting as far away from them as she possibly could. After that, she used her scientific knowledge and installed a psychic damper in her TARDIS and made one for her body that doubled as an amulet that would hide both her TARDIS and her from her fellow Time Lord minds so she would not be found and asked to fight a war she had no interest in.

Since then she had avoided any contact with anyone except her adopted servant. She had flown far enough away that the end of the Time War didn't affect her but she learned about the aftermath when she went back to see for herself what had happened. She then learned that her home world had been utterly destroyed and only the Doctor and his TARDIS emerged from it unscathed. She tried to search for Koschei but he was nowhere to be found and she assumed he had perished along with everyone else. Thanks to the damper the Doctor didn't suspect her presence although she could still feel him, the only Time Lord left in existence besides her. She made sure to stay out of his way, not wanting to reveal herself to him and risk him meddling in her affairs. Since that time she kept herself to herself keeping on with her important scientific work while the Doctor went around saving time and space like he always had.

For almost a century that was her life. Going about her business while he went about his. She feeling his mind while he couldn't feel hers.

But lately there had been an intriguing new development. Suddenly she could feel other minds besides his, five unfamiliar minds that seemed to appear out of nowhere. None of them were Koschei so she had no idea who these strangers could possibly be but one of them seemed to be a near duplicate of the Doctor's mind which puzzled her even further. She longed to reach out and bring them forward in her own mind to examine them more closely but that was far too risky. For now so she made a mental note to find out about these foreign Time Lord minds when she finished her latest experiment.

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After their nap both Rain and Jenny walked back to the console room. The Doctor was there sitting on the jump seat reading a large, ancient leather-bound book. He smiled when they came in the room.

"There you are," he said happily. "Did you have a nice little kip?"

"Yes, we did," Rain said.

He put his book down and reached into his pocket. He brought out the screwdrivers.

"Here you are, the last two members of the family to receive theirs," he said.

They took them from him.

"Just be careful where you aim them, I don't wanna have my TARDIS crash and burn because of you," he teased.

Rain kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, love."

"Yes indeedily my loving spousal unit now turned parental guardian and mentor."

He chuckled when they gave him odd looks.

"Well you are," he said shrugging.

He gave her a kiss on the lips and smiled at Jenny when he held his arm out to her. Jenny smiled and gave him a hug too and the Doctor smiled soaking in the love of both of them. They broke apart and he put his arm over the back of the jump seat.

"So," he said, casually, "we were debating where to go today. Is there any particular place either of you want to go? Because if not I can always set the controls to random or have you give me three random coordinate numbers and see what we get."

"Have you already asked everyone else?" Rain asked.

"Yes and no one really cares where we go. Actually, I reminded Donna she wanted to go see Charlie Chaplin before I took her memories but she's not that interested in that anymore. So, either of you have any ideas?"

"You're asking me as well?" Jenny said.

"Well, yes, I said either of you and I'm not talking to myself here. Why? Is there somewhere you wanna go, my daughter?"

"Um, I really can't think of anywhere, Dad. When I had the rocket, I just went anywhere it'd take me, I never really thought about going to a certain place."

The Doctor looked at Rain.

"What about you, Latara? Got a specific place or time period in mind?"

"Well…I would love to see Japan back before all the modern cities but you probably don't wanna do that since you've been to Kyoto already."

"Who says I don't wanna do that? I'm up for a little sightseeing in old Japan. Any specific time period, my love?"

She shrugged.

"During the time of the samurai, the feudal period."

He leaned towards her with a twinkle in her eye.

"And you're hoping that you'll see real ninjas since you missed the ninja museum, is that it?"

She giggled.

"Maybe."

"Well, let me contact the brood in the back and see what they think of it. But…"

He took Jenny's hand.

"If we go I want you to stay with us. No wandering off, alright? You're still not quite strong enough to take on anyone let alone a fully equipted samurai on horseback. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Okay, let me ask the rest of the family then."

He closed his eyes and Rain heard him asking the rest of the family about going while Jenny stood by and watched. She smiled when she heard them answer back in the affirmative.

_Who thought up that idea?_ Alan thought to them.

_I did,_ Rain thought back.

_Oh, shoulda known it was you,_ Alan teased. _You just took one look at our ninja photo and got envious of us going there so now you hope to top us and meet a ninja for real, eh?_

_Yup and then watch while you try to fight it with your so-called ninja skills,_ she thought back.

_I don't need ninja skills. I know Venusian aikido, remember? That means I can hand a ninja's ass to them on a silver platter, thank you very much. So bring em on! Samurai, ninja, tengu, demons, old ladies who want to throw hot tea on me; I'll take em all on! _

The Doctor smiled when everyone laughed in his mind. He glanced over and his hearts ached when he saw the confused look on his daughter's face. He hated that she wasn't hearing any of this and was left to wonder what was going on in the silence. It made him more determined to find a way to help her so she would no longer miss out on their telepathic conversations.

"They want to go, Jenny," he explained. "So, we're heading to feudal Japan for awhile."

Jenny smiled.

"I can't wait to see it. My first trip through time."

He grinned.

"Yes, it is and you're in for a treat! Now just have a seat on the chair and leave the flying to us, alright?"

Jenny nodded and sat down as everyone else came out into the console room. Mingxia sat down beside her while the others took their place around the console.

"Just make sure this isn't a rehash of Kyoto, brother," Alan said.

"Well, I can't promise anything but I'll try not to land us somewhere where they'll be trouble from avian alien assassins."

He raised his eyebrow when his entire family snorted at that.

"Well fine, you wanna wait in the TARDIS in your bedrooms while I go exploring, have at it then," he said to them.

He punched in the coordinates and everyone watched while they piloted the TARDIS to feudal Japan.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Hmmm, now I see what you mean, brother," Alan said as he finished putting on the men's dark blue kimono and grey hakama, "this outfit is quite comfortable. Maybe I'll wear this instead of my t-shirts and trousers from here on out."

"Wouldn't be any weirder than some of the outfits I've worn," the Doctor said as he finished tying the straps on his hakama.

They looked at each other and noticed that they looked identical now. Just then Rose entered the room wearing a plain grey kimono, white tabi socks and wooden sandals. The brothers looked at each other and grinned.

"HELLO ROSE!" they yelled in unison. "HOW'S MY STARLIGHT DOIN'?"

"Oh no, not this," Rose muttered.

"What's wrong, Rose?" they said in unison. "We're only sayin' hello to ya."

Jenny and Donna came in the room behind her. Jenny was wearing a blue kimono with tabi socks and sandals and Donna's was red with white socks and sandals. They stopped and stared at the brothers. Rose looked from one to the other and then went to the brother on the left. She hitched up his right sleeve and saw the Stitch tattoo.

"Nice try, Alan," she said as he groaned.

"See, it was a bad idea for you to cave in and get that," the Doctor said.

Donna came over and looked at it.

"You have a tattoo?" she said to him.

Alan rolled his eyes and nodded. Donna stared at his arm in disbelief.

"First off, what the hell is that thing and secondly…WHY?"

The Doctor snickered as Alan let out a sigh.

"To answer the second question first, it was Rose's idea and I went along with it for some weird reason. And as for the first question…you don't know who Stitch is?"

Donna frowned.

"No, what is he?"

"You've never seen the Disney cartoon Lilo and Stitch?" Rose said.

Donna shook her head.

Alan glanced at his wife and briefly explained the movie to her. Donna nodded when he was finished.

"Okay, the whole bad alien being turned good makes sense when you explain it that way. But I still can't believe you did that to yourself."

"Wifey-poo, show Donna your tattoo, will ya?" Alan said.

Donna and Jenny looked at Rose. She dropped his sleeve and hitched up her own. Donna read the writing.

"Amo'tiri?" she said to her.

"Yeah, it's one of his pet names for me," Rose said.

Jenny frowned.

"What does Amo'tiri mean?"

"It's Gallifreyan," Donna said to her. "Means kindred soul."

Jenny came closer and touched the tattoo.

"This is your language?" she asked the Doctor.

He nodded. Once again his hearts ached that his own daughter didn't know his language.

"It's beautiful, dad," she said.

He smiled and nodded.

She stared at the intricate design and traced one of the circles with her finger while Rose smiled at her. She looked at the Doctor.

"Can I get a tattoo too?"

The smile fell off his face.

"Why?" he asked while everyone giggled.

"I like this. It's interesting."

"I like it too but I don't want it put permanently on my arm," the Doctor replied.

"I wouldn't mind. I would love to have a tattoo," Jenny said.

The Doctor stared at her with wide eyes.

"Ought oh," Donna said, "Jenny's just hit her teenage rebellion phase. Next thing she'll be wantin' is a nose ring."

"Donna, shut up!" the Doctor hissed as everyone laughed hysterically.

Jenny looked at her.

"Nose ring?"

"Never mind, Jenny!" the Doctor said quickly, "she was just havin' ya on."

"Can I get a tattoo, dad?"

The Doctor was shocked into silence.

"Uh…well, I'd rather you didn't but…you're an adult and it's your arm," he finally said.

"Well…I don't wanna make you mad at me," Jenny said hesitantly.

He smiled at that.

"You won't. Like I said, it's your arm. Just be sure you think it through and don't get talked into it like somebody I know," he said, giving Alan a pointed look.

"It was her idea!"

"And then when you do it, don't spend the rest of your life making up weak excuses about someone else making you do it," the Doctor added.

Rain entered the room wearing a light pink kimono. The Doctor stared at her appreciatively as she walked right to him.

"Love, you look beautiful," she said.

"Thanks. You look handsome. Just like on our wedding day," she said.

Donna was taken aback.

"You know which one is which?" she said.

"Yeah, his eyes are older. I can tell that just from looking at him."

Donna and Jenny glanced at each other. They walked over to him and stared into his eyes. Then they looked at Alan's.

"I don't see a difference," Jenny said.

"I do. The Doctor's eyes are beadier."

"Oi!" the Doctor said as they laughed.

Donna looked at the Doctor.

"So where are we going to?" she asked.

"Well, for most of its history, Japan didn't have foreigners in it. There is a small period of time when they allowed Christian missionaries and foreign traders to stay so we're heading to somewhere in that range so no one will think it odd that we're there. Now at that time Kyoto was the capital and I considered going there so we could compare the modern Kyoto with the feudal one but we could also go to Tokyo or Edo as it was called. So what do you think?"

"Are we going to be around the same time period we were when we last went to Kyoto?" Rose asked.

"Yeeeeeah, give or take a few years but obviously not the exact same year."

"I wouldn't mind seeing either but if you lot wanna go to Kyoto that's fine," Rose said.

"I would like to see it to compare since we got married there," Rain said. "Was it still a large city?"

"Yeah, not as huge as modern Kyoto but still pretty large. Edo was the same way. Edo wasn't the capital then so it's not quite as big as Kyoto but it was still a busy city. But neither of them will be packed to the rafters with people like they are now."

"I think we oughta go to Osaka personally," Awinita said entering the room, "so we can see if Angry Man is there."

They laughed.

"Oh yeah, love, go to Osaka and ride the feudal version of Panic Jungle," Rain teased.

Mingxia entered the room wearing a grey kimono similar to Rose's while Awinita wore a lavender one.

"Ah, the last of our party has arrived," the Doctor said. "Good."

Mingxia walked up to him.

"Before we leave could I talk to you privately?" she asked.

"Sure."

He looked at everyone.

"Be right back, gang," he said.

Mingxia led him out in the hall away from everyone else. When they were out of earshot she stopped him.

"What'd ya need?" the Doctor asked.

"I need to ask your opinion. Your unbiased opinion," she said.

"Okay."

She sighed.

"I know the deadline for me to decide on being a Time Lady is almost here. I just wanna know if it's worth it and just please be honest with me. I know you're a Time Lord and you are biased when it comes to this but I wanna know if changing myself is the right thing to do because I wanna be sure if I do it."

"You want my honest opinion."

"Yes, please."

"Very well. I think there are many benefits to becoming a Time Lady. You'll gain great wisdom, stamina and the ability to link minds with us. But becoming one means you must shoulder a lot of responsibility because you'll be able to see the time lines like the rest of us and that means that you have a responsibility to defend the universe and fight evildoers and monsters. If you don't want this burden, Mingxia, then don't accept it because that's what it feels like sometimes. An enormous burden. Now it won't be as bad with all of us shouldering the burden with you but still, I vowed long ago to use the knowledge of the time lines to help others rather than sit on the sidelines and watch like my fellow Time Lords did and I expect those who travel with me to do the same. I know you and I haven't been together long but I think you are more than up to the challenge. You are a very responsible, caring, loving woman and you will treat what we do with the upmost respect. I think you'd make an excellent Time Lady and I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. I would love to have you become one with us and be able to feel and communicate with us. All of us hate that you can't know what we know and feel what we feel. You're practically family now and in fact I'm sure all of us will be adopting you as a family member if you do this because it won't make any sense to have us be a family of Time Lords and Ladies and have you be the Time Lady friend that tags along. This is my honest and unbiased opinion, Mingxia. It's up to you to decide what you want but I sincerely hope you do choose to join us because you're far better off with us than working a job at UNIT."

She smiled.

"Thank you, Doctor."

He smiled back.

"You're welcome, Mingxia. I hope I helped."

"You did. I think I'm gonna do it. I wanna be a Time Lady."

The grin nearly split the Doctor's face.

"Aaaaaw! Come 'ere!" he said, opening his arms.

She walked into them and he gave her a big bear hug.

"Well then, we'll definitely have to adopt you into our clan and make you our sister," he said, "little Time Lady in training."

She hugged him tightly.

"I'd love that."

"Good. We'll let's go and tell everyone the news then," he said.

He let go and put his hand on her shoulder while they walked back to the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

After they got back inside the room, the Doctor told them all what Mingxia had said and everyone rejoiced and hugged her, happy that their friend was going to become a Time Lady. After they had calmed down, all of them followed the Doctor and Alan into the console room. They took a vote and decided to go to Kyoto so the Doctor programmed the coordinates in while everyone took their usual place around the console. Mingxia and Jenny sat on the jump seat and watched them. Mingxia smiled knowing that pretty soon she would know how to operate all the peculiar controls and hopefully so would Jenny. With all of them operating it, the TARDIS flew smoothly and they just stood around it chit chatting with one another both vocally and mentally. She looked forward to that too, the silent communication and the feel of their minds in hers. Ever since she made her decision she had started to forget UNIT and start to leave it in the past. The people standing in front of her and sitting beside her were her future now.

The other thing she had been privileged to witness was how much Alan and Rose and Rain had grown on the journey and especially since they became Time Lords and Ladies. Especially Rain who had been a shy, uncertain girl with low self esteem when she first met her. She had gone from that to being a confident Time Lady and now a loving mother and wife. She was so glad her father was proud of her because she was as well.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked at Jenny.

"Have you ever traveled in time?" she asked her.

"Yes, but it was only a few months when we went back to a summer day for a meet and greet with their friends. This is my first real time travel experience."

"Mine too. I'm kinda nervous," she said. "Up to now I've just used the rocket to go to different planets. This is something new for me."

"I think we'll be alright. The Doctor's done it before and I trust him."

The Doctor inched backwards and held on to the rim of the console while he bent over backwards to look at them.

"Are you two back here discussing me?" he said.

"Yes, we're talking about what a loon you are," Mingxia said.

The others giggled when he gave her a long, hard stare.

"Just for that I'll turn this TARDIS right around and send you to your room without any supper," he said.

He smiled.

"Don't worry. You'll be alright. We'll look after ya. Now if you'll excuse me, I must supervise the slaves."

He leaned back up when everyone shot him a look. Mingxia figured they said something to him telepathically because he burst out laughing and held up his hands while they giggled. She sighed softly, wanting more than ever to be able to do that with them.

The TARDIS stopped and powered down.

"Alright, siblings, daughter, wife and friend, we are here," the Doctor said.

He took Jenny's hand when she stood up from the jump seat. Mingxia followed her and they all gathered in a cluster.

"Remember, we are not to wreck Kyoto," the Doctor said with mock sternness as he wagged his finger at them. "Just because we are Time Lords and Ladies does not mean Japan is our personal playground where we can tear up everything in sight. Be calm, cool and collected out there and that includes you, Alan, since I know once you get goin' you're practically running up the trees with manic energy. Behave yourself out there."

Alan bowed his head, stared at the floor and let out a huge sniff.

"Yes, daddy, I'll be good," he said in a kid voice while everyone laughed.

He took Rose's hand and Rain took the Doctor's other hand and they all walked towards the door. They stepped outside into a forest just on the outskirts of Kyoto. They stared at the city while the Doctor closed the doors. It was vastly different from modern Kyoto with smaller wooden houses that had slanted roofs that hung over the edges of the house. The Tallest structure was Nijo castle which looked the same as it did in modern times. They could see people walking the dirt roads in between the houses, some were average people but there were a few samurai among them walking and riding their horses. The Doctor took Jenny's hand and they stepped out of the trees and walked the short distance to the outskirts of town. Entering it, they noticed some of the people gave them funny looks or just stared at them intently but no one said anything. The Doctor glanced at Jenny who was just in awe of everything and he squeezed her hand.

"Dad, this is amazing," she said to him.

"Yes, it is," he replied. "I'm glad you're here to see it with us and not in some dingy building being hunted like a dog."

They heard a horse and turned to see a samurai riding up to them. He stopped his horse and eyed them suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he barked.

"Just a simple merchant out for a stroll with my family," the Doctor replied calmly.

He snorted.

"Bah, merchants. You foreigners are nothing but trouble since you landed on our shores. If you aren't trying to tell us about your god and his son, you're getting us to buy your guns and goods and now you bring your families into our country. We have no need of your god or your guns! You foreigners do not truly know us or our country. You think you can come here and change us into you. Why don't you go back home where you belong?"

"We're not here to change you," the Doctor said. "We're not trying to make you worship our god or buy our guns, we're merely travelers who are seeing the sights of your beautiful country."

The samurai's gaze rested on Mingxia.

"You!" he said, pointing to her. "What are you doing with these foreigners?"

"Me?" Mingxia said.

"Yes, what are you doing walking around with them? Where is your husband?"

She started to open her mouth when the Doctor quickly stepped in front of her.

"Her husband is off tending to his estate near Osaka. He gave us permission to look after her."

He pulled out his psychic paper from an inner pocket inside his kimono and gave it to him.

"This is a letter from him granting us permission to take care of his daughter," he explained.

The samurai scrutinized the paper and handed it back to him.

"Very well. As long as you are her guardian," he said while the Doctor put his psychic paper back in his pocket. "But I better not hear that you are causing trouble or I guarantee you'll be target practice for a bunch of archers."

"We won't cause any trouble, I promise," the Doctor said.

He nodded, kicked his horse and moved on. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"I get the feeling we'll have to explain Mingxia's presence a lot while we're here," the Doctor said.

"That's not necessary, Doctor. Just explain that I am Chinese. I think they'll accept that more than me being a Japanese wife that's running around with foreigners."

He nodded.

"I should have said that in the first place but I was put on the spot and had to come up with something fast and make it sound plausible. Especially since samurai were known to lob the heads off of people who insulted them in some real or imagined way. But you're right, saying you are Chinese makes things easier. As for the rest of us, we have to be careful not to tread on any toes. Christians are still tolerated here but this is 1510, four years away from the beginning of the persecution of them so there may be some people who are less than thrilled to see us. Just stuck together though and we'll be fine. But I suggest we do keep moving lest some samurai thinks we're up to no good."

They all walked off heading towards the center of town. There were still some people who stared at them but most ignored their presence and went about their business. The Doctor led them towards what he hoped was a very familiar landmark. He smiled when he finally saw it.

"Look, love," he said to Rain, "the Kamigamo-Jinja Shrine where we got married."

Rain took his hand and squeezed it. They walked under the torii gate and headed for the buildings. They were pleased when they saw that everything was exactly the same. The Doctor put his arm around his wife's shoulder and they walked up to the well where they had washed their hands and received the priest's blessing. The Doctor's family smiled when they stood together and stared at it; silently remembering that happy day that was 499 years in the future.

"May I help you?"

They turned to see an elderly priest walking up to them.

"We're just admiring the beauty of the temple," the Doctor said.

"I'm glad you find it beautiful," the priest said, smiling.

"Would you mind blessing us?" the Doctor asked him.

"Not at all, I would be happy to do that."

All of them gathered together and listened while the priest blessed them with long life, health, happiness and safety.

When he was done, they all bowed low and thanked him. The priest bowed in return and wished them a good day before walking off. They continued to look around the shrine, the Doctor and Rain reminiscing while the rest of them explained to Donna and Jenny about the first wedding they had. Finally, they got done looking at the shrine and left the grounds to go explore something else.

As they walked along the dirt road, Alan walked with his wife at his side and walked alongside his brother and Rain. Alan half listened to the other four chatting behind them. While he listened to Donna talking, he suddenly had a very impish idea. Grinning, he let go of Rose's hand and ignored her quizzical look.

Suddenly, he spun around and looked right at Donna who was still talking.

"SPANNERS, SHHHH!" he yelled at her.

He stared at her for a moment with bulging eyes. Then he turned back around and giggled when everyone except Donna gave him a puzzled look. He looked back at Donna. She raised her eyebrow and smirked.

"Alright, Space Man, that's enough of that," she said, amused.

"Just indulging myself in a little private joke between us, No Longer An Earth Girl," he said. "Behave yourself or I'll go starkers again."

"Don't you dare, I got an eyeful the last time."

He reached out and gave her hair an affectionate tousle while she smiled warmly at him. He looked at the Doctor.

"Care to let us in on this private joke of yours?" he said.

Alan chuckled and explained what was going on including the exchange between him and Donna that day in the TARDIS. They all laughed when he finished.

"So, that's what was going on inside my TARDIS while we were being tormented by Prune Boy," the Doctor said. "Nice to know that there was a huge comedy routine between the two of you after you escaped from nearly being barbecued. Sorry I wasn't there but Rose and I were entertaining the Dalek's doggy in the vault."

He sighed.

"Aaaah, memories. Well, enough loitering. We might attract the attention of some more samurai who are wondering why we're just standing here in the middle of the road and probably plotting nefarious deeds."

They started walking again while Alan looked back at Donna and winked at her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Azran watched his mistress while she finished making the shape shifting elixir. She had run several more tests on the Memorpios, most of them extremely painful. Azran had to listen to her screaming in agony before he finally was allowed to administer a sedative and put her out of her misery. Now at last the Rani claimed to have found a way to emulate her abilities.

"What will you do now, Mistress?" Azran asked.

"I shall test it."

Azran gave her an incredulous look.

"On yourself?" he asked.

"Yes, I want to see if I can change myself. Don't worry; I've tried other things before."

She picked up a syringe and put a bit of the colorless liquid into it. Azran watched intently while she injected herself in the arm with it. She disposed of the needle and laid the rest of the syringe on the counter. She leaned back against it and waited a few minutes.

"Feel anything, Mistress?" Azran asked.

"A slight tingling but that's it for the moment."

She waited another five minutes before walking out into the center of the room. Azran followed her and stood a few feet away watching his mistress intently. She shut her eyes and concentrated and to her servant's shock, her form suddenly shifted to look like a woman with pale white skin, white hair and pink eyes. She turned her eyes upon him.

"Did it work?"

"Yes, Mistress," Azran said, nodding.

"Fetch me a mirror."

Azran ran to get it. He found one in the bathroom in a drawer and ran back to the lab. She was still holding the shape when he brought it to her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Ah yes, excellent, I wanted to turn into an Andean and I did. Fantastic. Now I'll try it periodically and time how long the effect lasts. If it lasts long enough I can use this potion to change myself and move among others without detection. Perhaps even find my fellow Time Lord and see if I can figure out the mystery of the five new Time Lord mind signatures."

She changed back into her original form and grabbed a clipboard and a watch.

"I will try it every fifteen minutes and keep track of the results," she said. "Hopefully, I will be able to hold it long enough that it can be effective."

"What of the Memorpios?" Azran asked.

Rani shrugged.

"She's no longer of any use to me. Dispose of her in the usual way."

"Yes, Mistress," Azran said, bowing.

He left the room. Rani chuckled to herself.

"I hope this works because I suddenly have an urge to drop in on my fellow Time Lord and see what he's doing and if he's changed. I'm just dying to show him and the other Time Lords my lab."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The Doctor paused and scratched his head wondering where to go next. They had visited several shrines but there wasn't much else besides local homes and a few shops and restaurants. While the women were looking in a nearby shop, the Doctor and Alan were standing outside. They watched while a samurai rode past them and gave them a dirty look.

"We went to the wrong place, brother."

The Doctor looked at Alan who was standing behind him.

"I see it now. We should have gone to Osaka instead. All the merchants are there and they're the ones that blew all their money on food and drink and had the kuidores. That was the party town. This right here is all business, you can just tell. Nothing but samurai, and ill tempered samurai at that," Alan said.

"Well, the Tokaido Road goes there. Perhaps we can arrange to get some horses and ride…"

The Doctor trailed off when he heard some shouting up the road from them followed by the sound of a whip crack. Both brothers looked around them when everyone in the houses and shops around them poured out into the street.

"What's this?" Alan said.

"Dunno but I don't like the sound of that whip crack."

"Get a move on, ya swine!"

They watched while a procession turned the corner and came onto their street. A man and a woman were walking along, their hands bound in front of them with rope that was being held by two laughing men. They were walking along with their eyes down and there was evidence that people had been throwing things on them.

"That's right!" the man leading the captive male said, pointing back at him. "This man has murdered his next door neighbor and the woman stole a bowl of rice! They are criminals!"

The brothers watched in silent shock while everyone began to boo and taunt and hurl things at them while they continued to crack the whip across their backs. In the meantime, the women had poured out of the shop and were watching beside the shopkeeper and some other patrons who were also laughing and taunting. They stood there with disgusted looks on their faces except for Jenny who was completely confused. She walked over to the Doctor.

"Dad? What is this? What's going on?" she said.

He gave her a sad look.

"They're leading them towards the execution grounds, Angel," he said.

"What? Why? What have they done?"

"The man murdered someone and the women stole a bowl of rice."

"And they're walking them through the town?"

"Humiliation, my Angel. They're humiliating them before death."

Jenny was flabbergasted. She knew that humiliation of one's enemy was a powerful psychological tool. That had been ingrained into her mind when she was birthed in the machine but she had never seen it done on Messaline nor would she have ever considered it. She gasped when someone flung a large rock and hit the women on the left side of the head.

"Dad, we have to save them, please," she implored him. "We can't let them kill them."

The Doctor smiled at her.

"You've come so far since you were first born, my daughter," he said.

"Well, you taught me that."

He squeezed her shoulder and sent a message to his family.

_Come with me, everyone, we're gonna get them out of this if we can._

They nodded. Donna relayed the message to Mingxia and all of them followed a large crowd that was now walking with them to the execution grounds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they could get through the crowd it was already too late for the man. They had stripped him naked and led him up on a wooden stage where he was surrounded by eight muscular samurai. The woman had been bound to a large wooden post at the back of the crowd where she was still within eyeshot but could also be jeered and tormented by the crowd. She stood there; her head hung low, blood running down the side of her face from the rock that hit her and her hair wet with juice from thrown vegetables and water. The Doctor and Alan glanced at her. She was surrounded on three sides by the crowd but not at the back since the post was blocking the view.

_If we can get close enough, brother,_ the Doctor thought to him. _We can use the sonic to burn through the ropes. But we have to create a diversion so we can get her away before anyone notices. _

Alan looked around trying to find a diversion of any kind. While he did, the others, who had heard the Doctor's thought, looked with them. Meanwhile, the man had been tied down to a wooden table with his arms and legs splayed out. Jenny, fearful of what was about to happen, drew near to her father who put his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm.

Meanwhile, Rain was still looking around them. Then, she spied something. She quickly turned to the other women, pointed it out and whispered her plan to them.

Meanwhile, the man in charge of the execution stepped forward to read out his crime and sentence.

"This man is accused of killing Nakamura Toshi who supposedly owed him money," the man said. "He has been pronounced guilty and his sentence is death. He will have his arms and legs slowly sawed off until he is dead."

"What?" Alan said, making a face. "Oh, those bastards. How does that make them any better than him?"

"It doesn't," the Doctor said angrily.

They flinched when the executioner picked up a large saw from the table that was supposed to be used to cut bamboo. The Doctor looked at his daughter.

"Turn around, my Angel," he said, opening his arms. "I don't want you watching this."

Jenny stepped into his embrace, held him and closed her eyes as his arms closed around her protectively. He and Alan watched with a sinking stomach when the executioner moved near the man's side. Alan glanced at the woman and noticed she was watching with horror etched on her blood-drained face. He resumed his search for a diversion and then he noticed Rain and the others were slowly walking behind the crowd. He turned his head to point them out to his brother when suddenly the man let out an agonizing scream. Alan, Rain and the others jerked their heads to the stage and watched while the executioner slowly sawed off the man's pinky finger.

"Oh God, he's gonna do it one body part at a time," Alan said, feeling sick to his stomach.

The Doctor was about to vomit from seeing the display of barbarity in front of him. The man's screams filled the air drowning out everything else. Horrified, the Doctor looked around for his wife and the others to tell them not to watch and he noticed they were missing. He looked around frantically, then saw his brother pointing to them. They watched while Rain led them over to a large post at the perimeter of the execution grounds. They hesitated a moment looking at the crowd who were now focused solely on the tormented criminal. Then Rain reached up and grabbed a flaming torch out of its holder that was mounted on the post. They watched while she nodded to the other women and they hurried off down the road.

"I think my Latara has something in mind for a diversion," the Doctor said to Alan.

"Daddy," Jenny whimpered.

The Doctor looked down at his daughter who was now trembling after hearing the man's anguished screams.

"Please save him, make them stop," she begged.

The Doctor's hearts shattered and he held her close, kissing the top of her head. He looked at Alan

"I gotta take her away from here. This is too upsetting for her. Keep an eye on the woman."

"Gotcha."

He kissed his daughter on the top of the head.

"Come, Angel, walk with me," he said.

He got behind her shielding her from the executioners who had now sawed all but the thumb off on the man's right hand. Alan turned back and gritted his teeth when he saw the gleeful looks on the faces of the man's torturers. He could only stomach watching it for a few seconds and then he had to turn away as well. He looked at the woman who was now nearly catatonic with shock. Slowly he inched over to her while he reached inside his kimono pocket and brought out his screwdriver. Fortunately for him, the mob was engrossed in the action, watching the man's agony as if it were a circus show. He shook his head. There were some human behaviors he would never understand.

He reached the woman and inched in close to her. He looked around and made sure no one was watching or listening to him.

"Hello," he whispered in her ear. "My name is Alan and I and my friends are gonna get you outta here before it's your turn. I'm gonna get rid of the ropes surrounding you but I want you to stay in place and pretend you're still tied up. Don't move until I say, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Harumi."

"Okay, Harumi, don't be afraid. We're gonna rescue you. Just remain calm."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I don't know why you stole a bowl of rice but that doesn't warrant them sawing every body part off your body till you die. Now hold still, Harumi, and I'll loosen the ropes."

He glanced around and put the sonic up to the ropes at the back of the post. He turned it on and moved his body near so no one could see what he was doing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor walked with Jenny down the road searching for his wife. His daughter was extremely shaken up and he guessed she had never witnessed anything like that. It broke his hearts and he longed to stifle the screams of the dying man that were still echoing through the air.

"How can they do that?" Jenny said as a tear trickled down her face. "The poor man."

"I know, Angel, I know. I can't understand humans sometimes but people like that are in the minority, trust me."

"It's the most horrifying thing I've ever seen. I don't care what he did; he doesn't deserve to die like that!"

"I know. I agree. I…"

The Doctor paused when he noticed smoke up ahead of them.

"Now what?" he said.

He took Jenny's hand and they ran towards it. He stopped short when he saw his wife, sisters and friend setting fires. He watched while they gathered piles of straw together in the middle of the road, setting it alight. He smiled when he realized what they were doing.

"Brilliant, my love, just brilliant!" he said.

He and Jenny ran over and they helped them by grabbing straw, grass and rubbish and throwing it on the pile. They got small fires going but not enough to attract attention.

"We need something bigger," he said.

He sighed when he stared at a nearby house and glanced back down the road as he listened to the man's screams.

"Sorry, whoever owns this," he muttered, running up to it.

He slid back the paper screen door and he and Jenny ran inside. They did a thorough search of the house and found it empty. They ran back out.

"Alright, love; as much as I hate destroying someone's property…we have to do this in order to save their lives, so…burn it."

Rain ran up and set the paper screen door on fire nearest the wall. The others brought over more straw and they put it inside by a table. Rain set it alight and ran back out before the door fire got too intense. The Doctor took the torch from her, ran off the porch, and flung the torch up on the roof. They watched for a moment making sure the roof caught fire and was burning steadily. Then the Doctor turned to them.

"Alright, my fellow arsonists, show time!"

All of them ran back down the road screaming, "FIRE!" at the top of their lungs. They kept on screaming it and pointing back to the house. Everyone at the execution ground stopped what they were doing, looked where they were pointing and saw smoke billowing up above the houses.

"FIRE!" they screamed.

The Doctor and the others quickly ran out of the way as the crowd, samurai and executioner ran down the road to try to stop it before more houses caught fire.

"Good job all the houses were wooden and close together at this point," the Doctor said. "They will be stopping that fire at any cost."

Once everyone had cleared the grounds. Alan grabbed hold of Harumi who was now free and they ran over to the others.

"Brilliant!" he said to the women.

They looked at the man who was lying on the table moaning loudly. They glanced at each other.

"Rose, Rain and Donna come and help us get this man away from here. Awinita, Mingxia and Jenny take…"

"Harumi," Alan said.

"Take Harumi back to the TARDIS as fast as you can. Hurry before the mob cottons on and comes back."

They nodded and quickly ushered Harumi away while the others ran up the stage to the table. The three women nearly gagged when they saw him. They had managed to saw his arm off up to his elbow and he was losing blood fast. The man looked up at them through half closed lids.

"Gotta figure out a way to stop the bleeding. Tourniquet or something," the Doctor said. He looked over and saw the man's kimono lying nearby. He ran to it and grabbed the strip of cloth used to tie it shut. He ran back and both he and Alan worked quickly to try to stop the bleeding. Everyone glanced nervously up the street but so far no one had come back to check on them. Finally they got the makeshift tourniquet tied tight enough that the bleeding slowed to a trickle. The Doctor looked at the women.

"We'll get the top half, you lot get the legs and hips."

They nodded and ran to either side of him. The Doctor counted three and they lifted him up off the table, carefully got him off the stage and then hurried away as fast as they could towards the TARDIS.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luckily by the time they ran off with him the entire town was focused on putting out the fire and they ran with the dying man through the empty streets. They managed to reach the ship unopposed and Awinita opened the door and stepped back to let them in. the TARDIS made a direct way to the med bay and they carried him in and laid him on a table. They noticed the man's fear when they laid him down.

"It's alright," the Doctor assured him. "We're not executing you, we're gonna heal you."

The man relaxed and muttered his thanks while Alan prepared an anesthetic for him and the Doctor and the women put on sterile plastic gloves.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked him.

"Shoji, sir," he murmured. "I didn't do it, I swear."

The Doctor nodded.

"Just relax, Shoji, we're gonna put you to sleep and take care of your arm, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Doctor. My name is the Doctor and this man here is my brother, Alan. We're going to be helping you."

"A thousand thanks to you both."

The Doctor stepped back and let Alan administer the shot of anesthetic.

"Just sleep, Shoji, and we'll sort out your arm," the Doctor said.

"Thank you, Doctor-san."

Shoji drifted off to sleep.

"Do you need our help, love?" Rain said.

"Yes, you can hand us what we need. But Donna, will you find the others and make sure Harumi is alright?"

"Yes."

She hurried out while Rain and Rose followed the brother's instructions and fetched them what they needed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They managed to get Shoji stabilized and stop the blood loss. After that, Rose helped clean and sterilize the area around the wound. Rain went and fetched a bag of A negative blood from a freezer in the storage room after the Doctor took a blood sample and had it analyzed for type. She helped her husband start an IV while Alan used a special device that used a healing light to cauterize the wound and seal the arm turning it into a smooth rounded stump. The Doctor stared at it sadly.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't get to you in time to save it," he said to the sleeping man. "But at least we managed to save most of it and your life."

"I'm not saying that he deserved what they did to him," Rose said, "but what if he really is a murderer?"

"Then we'll keep a close eye on him. He only has one and a half arms now and there are eight of us. For the moment though I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since they convicted people on the flimsiest of evidence and executed the innocent along with the guilty. We'll get his side of the story when he wakes which I'm sure will be more than they did. In the meantime, we'll use the TARDIS to move them somewhere where they can start a brand new life and hopefully both of them will take the hint and lead crime free lives if they really are guilty. We need to leg it as well, in case they find out we did it and I'm sure the strange foreigners are the first ones they'll point to. In fact, I'm gonna do just that. I'll take it to Osaka since we were discussing going there anyway. Just keep an eye on him and I'll get the old girl a goin'."

He looked down at his blood stained clothes for a moment before he walked out the door. Alan looked at his own clothes that were also stained with his blood and let out a tired sigh while he went to take off his gloves and wash his hands and lower arms. After he did that, the others followed suit while he stripped off his blood stained kimono and hakama. The TARDIS took it and the bloody gloves away and instantly a fresh pair of clothes appeared in his hands.

"Thanks, girl," Alan said as she nudged the back of his mind.

The three women finished washing their hands and arms and stepped back watching while Alan dressed himself in the clean clothes.

"Much better," he said when he finished.

The Doctor came back and rested a moment. The TARDIS determined the size of the man's clothes from looking at his body and gave him a fresh blue kimono that she materialized in a nearby chair. She cleaned the blood off the table and floor and when she was done with that, the five of them picked him up and moved him to a comfortable bed in the corner. Once he was moved, the TARDIS removed the rest of the blood and cleaned and disinfected the floor. Rain went to fetch the kimono and they dressed him in it and tied it closed before they laid him in the bed and pulled the sheets up.

Then and only then did the Doctor take off his blood stained clothes and receive new ones. Donna appeared in the door when he was tying up his pants.

"Harumi is comfortable. She's in shock and thinks we're all sorcerers and sorceresses for the moment but she's resting. How is he?"

"He's fine now. We got him stabilized. His name's Shoji," the Doctor said.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, Te'lesu, we're finished now," he replied.

"Is the TARDIS in flight?"

"Yes, I took her into the vortex to get us all away from there and I'm gonna go back to Osaka since I'm sure they'll be looking for us in addition to these two."

Donna walked over to the bed and stared down at him while he slept.

"God, the poor man," she said, shaking her head.

She looked at the Doctor.

"Is the TARDIS assessing their mental states?" she asked.

The TARDIS rumbled an affirmative.

"I imagine he'll need some help after all that. He'll be lucky to come out of it with his mind unscathed," Donna said.

"We'll do all we can for them," the Doctor said, "including taking them somewhere where they can start over. Providing Shoji really is innocent. I'm not gonna let a murderer out to wreck havoc somewhere else."

"The TARDIS can tell if he's lying, right?" Rain said.

He nodded.

"Yes. She'll monitor brainwaves when we talk to them and tell us telepathically if they're lying or not. For the moment I'm just glad we got them and us away from that. Jenny was shaken up."

Donna nodded.

"Yeah. We had to get her calmed down as well. She was trembling. I think she just saw her first real horror since she was born."

"I think so too," the Doctor said, "and in this case, I don't blame her. I was about to vomit as well."

"So was I," Alan said.

"I can't believe they did that. That was completely sick and depraved," Rose said. "They accuse him of murdering someone and turn right around and just kill him in the slowest and most painful way they can think of. Twisted bastards."

"We could barely hold it together just listening to his screams and knowing what they were doing," Rain said. "I felt like running back there, taking the saw from them and sawing them in half. And the crowd…The crowd just stood there watching. Ugh! Sis is right. Not only were they depraved but so was the crowd for allowing it to happen."

"But stuff like that is the norm for executions in numerous countries up to your time and beyond," the Doctor said. "Humans committing barbarous acts on other humans and torturing and tormenting them until they die or lose their minds. Sadly, it's a part of human nature, that cruelty, except not everyone goes to that extreme. But most people have made fun of someone at one point or another and that stems from that."

They glanced at Shoji.

"Brother, give him another shot and I'll take us to Osaka. In the meantime, you two take a rest; you've earned it and you as well after you're done, my brother. And neither of us could have done this without you."

They smiled and hugged their husbands before they left with Donna to go to the living room. The Doctor squeezed his brother's shoulder.

"Good job, Alan."

"Yeah, you too, Doctor."

They shared a smile before the Doctor left to go to the console room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Before leaving the room, the Doctor asked the TARDIS to put a protective force field around Shoji's bed so he wouldn't wander around if he woke up before they got back. He took one last look at him. Satisfied he was resting comfortably, he went to see about landing in Osaka.

As before, he landed the TARDIS in the forest on the outskirts of the city. He opened the door, walked out and made sure they were in the right location before going back inside and locking the door. Then he went to find Harumi and the others.

He found the women in the living room with her. They were clustered around her, trying to calm her down. He glanced down the hallway and noticed Alan was in the kitchen making tea for them. He headed inside the room and smiled warmly at Harumi. Unlike her fellow captive who was middle aged with graying hair and a thin haggard face. Harumi looked to be in her late twenties with long flowing hair that went down her back and a round unblemished face. There was a large piece of gauze that had been taped over the spot where the rock had hit her.

_Was that all that was wrong with her?_ He thought to his family.

_She had a few injuries on her back from that whip but they weren't deep,_ Donna thought back. _We got those cleaned up and she's fine now._

The Doctor nodded and walked towards Harumi.

"Hello, Harumi, I'm the Doctor. I'm Alan's twin brother," he said to her.

She noticed her giving him an odd look.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked.

"Twins are bad luck in Japan," she said.

Everyone glanced at each other.

"They are?" the Doctor said, intrigued.

She nodded.

"Yes, very bad luck. It is believed that twins bring disaster to their families."

The Doctor smiled.

"Well, Alan and I will try our very best not to bring bad luck to you," he said. "It's not us you should be worried about anyway. We rescued you but that doesn't mean they still won't search. We've taken you to Osaka but you might wanna consider going further than that. Do you have any family at all around here?"

She shook her head.

"My family no longer talks to me, they consider me dead."

"Why?"

"Because I fell in love with a man they did not approve of and when they forbid the marriage I ran off with him and got married anyway. A friend told me my father told everyone I was dead to him after the marriage and took my name out of the family register. There is no one who will help me now."

The Doctor glanced at his family and shook his head.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Harumi, I really am. Is your husband around then? We could take you back to him."

"He's dead. He was killed in battle and our house was seized soon after to pay off his debts."

" Do you have any children?"

"No. That is why I stole the bowl of rice, Doctor-san, there was no one to support me and I was starving."

They gave her a sympathetic look.

"Is there anyone at all that you know of that would take you in? Do you have any relatives who don't agree with your father, any close friends, the friend who talked to you?"

"No, my friend has no space in his home and not enough to support me, sir."

"Doctor, please call me Doctor."

He sighed while he thought.

"I can't let you go with no means of support, Harumi. Otherwise, you'll end up right back where you started and there are no social services that would help you out. Your husband didn't have any friends that might look after you?"

"No, Doctor-san. I survived by begging but I never got very much. When I stole the rice, I hadn't eaten in five days."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Are you hungry right now?"

Harumi hesitated and then nodded. The Doctor quickly sent a telepathic message to his brother asking him to fix her something to eat. Once he received confirmation he would, he went back to the problem at hand. He quickly reviewed everything he knew about feudal Japan.

"Harumi, have you considered a monastery?" he said. "I know you probably don't fancy becoming a nun but it may be your only option at the moment. At least they would provide you with food and shelter."

She thought.

"I guess you're right, Doctor-san. It seems like that would be my only option now," she said.

"I'm sorry, Harumi, but I want you to be safe and not have to steal and end up in the execution grounds again. The nuns would provide you with everything you needed and you could hide there if anyone came after you, especially since nuns shave their heads. Living there seems a better option to me than spending your nights sleeping on the cold ground and begging for scraps of meat from people who may not be merciful enough to give you any. Not to mention it's not humiliating like that fate is and you've been through enough without being humiliated on top of it. Now if you want to stay here in Osaka, we'll help you find a monastery that'll take you and…"

"Why can't you help me?"

The Doctor's brow furrowed.

"I am helping you, Harumi, that's why I'm going through these options with you."

"No, I mean, you are a powerful sorcerer so why can't you give me a nice house and some servants somewhere?"

The Doctor smiled sadly.

"I'm not a sorcerer, Harumi. Neither is my brother and they're not sorceresses. We don't know any magic spells that can give you all that. If I could wave my hands and make you safe and comfortable for the rest of your life, believe me, I would do that."

"But…this place. This blue box with the building inside it? This is not magic?"

He smiled.

"No Harumi, although I know it looks that way to you. It's a long explanation, but let's just say I and my family aren't from around here. We are from very far off where this blue box is not unusual. But I can assure you that I don't know any magic spells and they don't either."

He glanced at Alan who came in carrying a wooden tea tray. He set it down on the coffee table and everyone took a cup and started fixing it the way they liked it.

"I'll be back with your food, Harumi," he said to her. "I…"

He trailed off when he noticed the odd look on her face. He noticed her looking from him to his brother and back.

"Harumi? What's wrong?"

The Doctor quickly thought to him, telling him about the twin superstitions. Alan's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh! Um…yes, about the whole twin thing, Harumi. Where we come from, twins aren't thought of as bad luck. And truth be told, we aren't exactly your typical twins anyway. It's a long, weird story but trust me, we aren't bad omens and we won't cause you disaster. If anything, we're your lucky charms because we rescued you and Shoji from dying a horrible death. Now, I have some delicious Japanese food for you and I'll bring it in and then I have to check the man who was going to be put to death with you. But please don't be afraid of us, any of us. We're all safe to be around, alright?"

Harumi nodded and he smiled and nodded. He left the room and returned a moment later with another tray filled with food. Everyone grabbed their cups and the Doctor took the tray off the coffee table. Alan sat his tray down and began to transfer the plates and bowl onto the table. There was rice and miso soup, fried tofu and a bit of sushi.

"I hope you like everything here," Alan said to her.

"I do."

"Good. Please go ahead and eat," he said to her.

He took both trays and left the room. They watched while Harumi ate her meal.

"So, would you like to stay here in Osaka, Harumi," the Doctor said, "or do you wanna go further?"

Harumi swallowed the sushi she had in her mouth.

"You are in Osaka already?" she said. "How did you get there so fast?"

_Blast,_ he thought to his family. _How to tell her without her thinking I really am a sorcerer?_

The Doctor floundered around for an answer, but short of telling her outright he was an alien, he couldn't think of one. He could sense that Harumi was thinking it was sorcery and he wanted to get that thought out of her mind so she wouldn't get her hopes up about going someplace other than the monastery.

"Harumi, I really can't answer that except to say that it isn't sorcery. I repeat, I'm not a sorcerer but you just have to trust that I got you out of Kyoto and over to Osaka before they knew we were gone."

Harumi looked confused but to the Doctor's relief, she dropped the subject and nodded.

"Yes, I want to stay here in Osaka," she said.

"Okay, we'll help you find a monastery to hide in then," he said to her.

_Brother, Shoji's awake; do you want me to bring him into the living room?_

The Doctor glanced over at an empty chair.

_Yes, I'll get everything ready but go ahead and bring him in. We need to get him sorted out as well._

_Okay, I'll be there in a couple of minutes. _

The Doctor got up and went to get a leather high back chair from the other side of the living room. Rain, who had heard her brother along with everyone else, went over to the far wall with Donna and grabbed a smaller table while Rose and Awinita went to get him tea and something to eat. Harumi frowned.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Um…the other man, Shoji, is coming in here," the Doctor said. "We need to ask him some questions as well so we can find a place for him to go. Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him and he won't bother you."

She nodded. Donna and Rain positioned the table in front of the chair and the Doctor thanked them. Donna smiled at Harumi.

"Would you like a top up on your tea?"

"Yes, please."

She smiled, took the tea cup and left the room. Rain went and sat back down beside her daughter and Mingxia on the couch while Alan walked in to the room leading a slightly unsteady Shoji.

"Over here," he said, leading him to the chair.

The Doctor stepped back before he noticed there were twins in the room just in case he became startled and lost his balance. Shoji stared at the high back chair in confusion for a moment before he grabbed the arm with his one remaining hand and lowered himself down into it.

"We're getting you some tea and something to eat, Shoji," the Doctor said, coming around the front. "Are you hungry?"

He nodded and then paused. He had been out of it before and didn't realize that they were twins until now. They noticed a little bit of uneasiness on his face but he didn't comment on their being twins and instead turned his attention to the others across the room. He noticed Harumi and gave her a relieved smile.

"I'm glad they got you away from there," he spoke softly.

"I feel the same about you, Shoji-san," she replied, bowing her head.

The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you in any pain? We can give you medicine if you are," he said.

He considered that for a moment.

"My arm aches a little," he said, gesturing to the stump.

The Doctor nodded.

"I'll get it," he said to Alan before hurrying out of the room.

Donna entered carrying Harumi and Shoji's teas. She sat Harumi's down in front of her and then put down Shoji's cup. She noticed him looking at her with fascination and she suddenly realized he was looking at her red hair. She smiled warmly and walked back out of the room. He turned his attention to Rose and Jenny and they grinned knowing he was now staring at their blonde hair.

"You foreigners have some interesting hair colors, that's for sure," they heard him mutter to himself.

He smiled when Donna came back in with a tray of food. Alan took the plates and bowls off and sat them in front of him. The TARDIS gave him the exact same meal as Harumi and Shoji thanked them both before taking his chopsticks and eating the meal. The Doctor came back in the room with two ibuprofens and asked Shoji to swallow them. Shoji held them in his hand for a moment studying them before putting them in his mouth and swallowing them with his tea. The Doctor thanked him and looked at Alan.

"I think that's it for now," he said.

Alan nodded.

"I can't think of anything else either," he said.

They went and grabbed two more chairs and pulled them up beside the couch. The other women came back into the room and sat down around their feet.

"Is there anything else we need to get?" Rose asked the Doctor.

He shook his head.

"Unless I'm forgetting something, no, we're fine right now."

She nodded and he gave her shoulder a squeeze. He smiled at Shoji who was quietly eating his meal.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions while you eat, Shoji," the Doctor said.

"Not at all, please ask."

"Well, first off, you proclaimed your innocence and I'd really like to hear your side of the story if you don't mind."

Shoji was taken aback. The Doctor shook his head.

"I assume from that reaction that no one thought to ask you to do that until now," he said.

"No one cared, Doctor-san. I'm a peasant so they didn't care as long as they had someone they could accuse."

"Well, what really happened?"

He took a sip of tea.

"Do you live in Kyoto?" he asked.

"No."

"How far away do you live from Kyoto? Do you know the area around it?"

"No, I don't. We live far away. We're just traveling at the moment," he replied.

"Well, there is the city and clustered around it in the countryside are smaller farms and houses," he said. "I lived all my life on one of those farms growing rice with my family. My family never had much but we had enough to get by and not starve after we paid our taxes. However, we had some neighbors that didn't have as good a soil as we did and there was never enough for all of them. It wasn't only that though, the father often was drunk and wouldn't help out with anything which left his wife to raise the six children they had by herself. My family had three, including myself, and we would often go over there to play with them. I became extremely close with one of them. He was named Isamu and we were like brothers. Isamu had been weak in body since birth and he was often picked on by his brother so I also became a kind of protector to him. His oldest brother and the oldest of the family was named Kenshin and he was an extremely cruel man even as a little boy."

He took a sip of tea.

"I remember when I was probably five or six going down to the pond near our house every day with Isamu to swim and fish. Kenshin would often come there while we were swimming with two older friends of his and we would hide in the reeds and watch while they caught turtles and pulled the shells off them so they could watch them die."

All of them got disgusted looks on their faces.

"This is the kind of man he was, Doctor-san, and that was when he was barely ten. He grew worse the older he got and my friend got the brunt of his anger because he was the youngest and weakest. I tried my very best to shield him and I got a few black eyes because of it but eventually I had to go home and I couldn't protect him at night. The other brother wouldn't do it. He wasn't cruel but he was a coward and Kenshin dominated him and bullied him until he was afraid to say anything against him. I didn't know him that well though. He kept to himself and died of a fever when he was twelve. The three sisters he had were bullied as well but they had even less power than their brother did. Anyway, Isamu and I grew up and he spent most of his free time over at my house and my father and mother started treating him as a member of the family and most of the time he ate with us before going home to his supper so he actually was getting more to eat than Kenshin was."

"That's good if he was the sickly one," Awinita said.

Shoji nodded.

"Yes, I was grateful to my father and mother for doing that. It wasn't only the lack of food at his house but also, as you can probably guess, Kenshin always took the biggest portion.

They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.

"I'm glad I didn't know this jerk," Rain said. "And I thought my sister was a big pain in the butt."

"Yes, consider yourself fortunate you don't know him because I wish I didn't now," Shoji said. "Um…anyway, this went on into adulthood until their father died and Kenshin inherited the farm. Well, the first thing he did was kick Isamu and their mother out. By that time his sisters were all married off so it didn't affect them but Isamu and his mother had to stay with our family until he was able to build a house for them about 3 kilometers from us. My father helped him build it and helped him plow his own paddy so he could have food and enough to pay his taxes. He also helped them out with food and looked after his mother until he got on his feet again. This was three years ago and though the first year was rough, Kwannon was merciful and blessed him with good soil like we had and the next year's harvest was more than enough to feed him, pay his taxes and be able to buy the things he needed for him and his mother. The next year it was the same but just before harvest time his mother grew sickly and died. Once again my family helped him out and we helped him harvest the rice and made sure he was alright. But Kenshin wasn't blind to this prosperity and he became very jealous. At the time, I had finally saved enough to be able to move out on my own and I was going to build a house about a kilometer from my friend so we could still visit each other. I went over to his house repeatedly and we made plans for my farm since he was going to help me build it. Two days ago, I was preparing to go over there to visit, eat and talk with him but sometime before I got over there, Kenshin came to his house and murdered him with a scythe, split his head open. That's how I found him, Doctor-san, lying in the doorway of his house in a pool of blood with the scythe still in his head. I was devastated and was going to go get my father when suddenly I see Kenshin riding up with a group of samurai from the city. He immediately accused me of murdering my friend and they believed him. They saw me kneeling there beside him and saw the blood on my hand that had gotten there because I closed my friend's eyes out of respect. They saw the scythe and that's all the proof they needed. They arrested me immediately, charged me with murder and threw me in the cell next to Harumi's and I stayed there until this morning and the rest you know. But, I swear to you, Doctor-san, I didn't murder my friend."

The Doctor nodded. The TARDIS had telepathically confirmed both their stories.

"I believe you, Shoji," he said as the others nodded in agreement.

They smiled at the grateful look on his face.

"Thank you, Doctor-san."

"I'm sorry we weren't able to save your hand and lower arm," the Doctor said sadly.

"You saved me and Harumi, that's all that matters. I am in debt to you, my friends."

They smiled at him.

"So what happens to Kenshin then?" Jenny asked.

"I suspect he'll inherit his brother's farm since he had no descendents. I have a feeling that's why he murdered him in the first place. And I know he murdered him, otherwise how could he have alerted the samurai so fast since I had only just discovered him five minutes before they rode up? But he will have his reckoning in the next life if he gets away with it in this one. His karma will see to that."

"What about your family, Shoji?"Alan said. "Will they believe your innocence?"

Shoji took a bite of sushi while he thought that over.

"I hope so…"

He tried to think of his name.

"Alan," Alan said.

He nodded.

"Forgive me; I forgot your name, my friend. Yes, Alan-san…I would hope they would know I was innocent since they know that Isamu was a brother to me in all but name. What would I have to gain from his slaughter? I was going to build a farm of my own and I grew up very humbly. I am not greedy in any way and I certainly wouldn't invite karma like that upon myself and suffer in the next life for it. I hope that they do know but there is no way I can return to them since they will be watching for that."

"But they won't hurt your family, will they?" Rose said worriedly.

Shoji thought that over.

"They might torture them if they think they're hiding me somewhere," he said.

Rose looked at her family.

_We can't let that happen,_ she thought to them. _We gotta try to go back and get them and take them into hiding with Shoji._

They nodded in agreement.

"Shoji, who's living at your home now?" Alan asked.

"Only my mother and father. My sisters have husbands."

"Would your sisters be threatened in any way?"

"I don't think so. They live on Hokkaido island and it takes a couple of months to get there. They would know that I wouldn't be able to make it up there that quickly so they'd just have people looking out for me along the way."

They nodded.

"But conceivably they could come after your parents and torture them into telling where you've gone," the Doctor said.

"Yes."

"Then if you're going to go into hiding, they'll have to come with us, Shoji, so they'll be safe. How old are they?"

"They are both nearing 70."

"So, you are their sole support?"

"Yes, Doctor-san."

"Then that settles it. They have to come so you can take care of them. Now I'll ask you what I asked Harumi. I know this may sound unbelievable, but we are outside Osaka right now."

His eyes widened.

"Now? How did you get here that fast?"

"It's a long story but I will say that we are not sorcerers or witches or magicians. We just have a way to travel quicker than horses, so just please accept that. Now do you want to stay here in Osaka because if you don't, we can take you anywhere you wish to go."

He thought.

"No, this is too close. I want to go further."

"Name the place."

"Can this faster than a horse thing travel to Hokkaido before the samurai?"

"Yes."

"I want to go there then so I can be with my sister's families. They would help protect and hide me especially since my sisters have told them about Kenshin."

"Done," he said.

"Thank you, Doctor-san."

"You're welcome. I want for you what I want for Harumi, to be safe and have a fresh start."

"Where is Harumi going?"

"I have no one so I must go into a monastery."

He shook his head.

"No, you don't belong there. Come with me. If you help take care of my parents, my family and I will provide for you."

The Doctor beamed and looked at Harumi who was stunned.

"You'd do that?" she said.

"Yes, I will support you until you can be married off."

"Thank you, Shoji-san," she said, bowing her head.

_Yes!_ Alan thought to them. _Thank God she doesn't have to spend the rest of her life in a nunnery._

"Thank you, Shoji," the Doctor said.

"It's alright. She deserves to have a home and family. Only those who wish to be nuns should enter the monastery. It should never be something that's forced on someone. She's young and would make a good wife."

He smiled.

"Perhaps even to me," he said.

They laughed when she blushed at that.

_Hmm,_ the Doctor thought to his family, _do I detect the beginnings of a courtship here?_

_I think they'd make a cute couple,_ Rain thought back.

_And she could help him with the farm since he only has one hand now,_ Rose thought.

_Not to mention they just went through the same thing together,_ Alan thought. _They can bond through that. _

_I just hope the samurai don't catch up to them,_ the Doctor thought. _I would hate to have gone through all of this and have him and Harumi and his entire family be put to death after we leave. But we better go ahead and go over there and get them since I'm sure we'll have to explain to them about why they have to suddenly leave their home and move to Hokkaido island._

He looked at Shoji.

"I need your help. I'm going to go back to your house but I need you to show me where it is, can you do that?"

He nodded.

"Okay, would you mind coming with me now so we can get over there before the samurai do and then you can eat the rest of your meal afterwards?"

"Of course, Doctor-san."

He got up with the Doctor and he ushered him out of the room towards the console room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The Doctor sat on the jump seat, waiting. He had landed the TARDIS outside of Kyoto about a half mile from Shoji's house. Shoji had gone with Alan, Rose and Donna to talk to them and persuade them to come. The Doctor decided to stay behind so he could be ready to power up and get them away from the city the moment he received a telepathic message. The rest of the family had helped Harumi settle in a spare room where she was now taking a nap. Mingxia decide to take a quick one as well and the others were cleaning up the dishes and straightening up everything.

He sensed someone coming in the room and smiled when he saw Jenny.

"Hey, quite a full day so far, eh?" he said. "And we haven't had to do much running yet, imagine that."

Jenny smiled and walked up to him. He scooted over and made room for her on the jump seat.

"Dad, I just wanted to say sorry," she said as she sat down.

He frowned.

"What for?"

She lowered her eyes to the grate.

"For acting like a child earlier."

The Doctor was even more perplexed.

"When did you act like a child?"

She sighed.

"When I was shaking in your arms."

"Oh, Jenny, you didn't act…Angel, what you did was completely justified. A man was being taken apart piece by piece with a handsaw right in front of you. I don't blame you for reacting the way you did especially since you've never seen anything like that before. Love, that wasn't childish in any way."

"I should have been braver like you," she said.

He scooted closer and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Jenny, I nearly vomited all over my trainers," he said, "and so did Alan. I've had centuries of seeing horrors like that and Alan has every single one of my memories and both of us were still horrified. When I took you away from it, it was as much for my benefit as it was for yours. Sweetheart, I knew you'd have a problem with watching it, that's why I told you to turn around and not look. I don't wanna look at things like that, let alone have you see them. Being brave doesn't mean you stand there like a robot and just stare while not feeling anything at all. It's alright to be upset by something like that even to the point of shaking with fear and feeling like you're gonna vomit. There's been countless times in my ten lives that I've been scared half to death at something and yes, even shaken out of fear. You're not a child for doing that; it means you're an emotional, empathetic being. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Frankly, I would have been more disturbed if you'd acted like the crowd and loved it and cheered them on. So don't worry about it. Neither Alan nor I think you're a child, okay?"

She nodded and he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Can I ask you something?" Jenny said.

"Sure."

"You remember the day I was born when we were in the prison cell and I was trying to point out to you that you were a soldier."

He chuckled and nodded.

"I asked you if you had ever fought and killed and you said yes."

He nodded.

"What we saw today, is that what you saw when you fought this war you mentioned?"

The Doctor thought for a moment.

"I didn't see what we saw today but yes, I saw a lot of atrocities when I fought."

"And you were terrified?"

"I was terrified throughout the entire Time War, Jenny. Every moment of every day I was scared of what might happen or what I might see around the next corner. When I fought, for the most part, I was completely alone and from one moment to the next I didn't know if I was gonna make it. But I pressed on despite the fear and did what I had to do. That's another thing that brave people do, they feel fear but they do what they need to do even while they're shaking in their boots. Only idiots and nutters go into a war without any fear."

"But why did you fight, Dad?"

"Because I was called upon to do it and it was my sworn duty because the entire universe was at stake. Everything I loved was being threatened by the Daleks and I wasn't about to let my ancient enemies destroy it all. So I did what needed to be done, and that includes destroying my own planet. That's another instance I was terrified. Not only of dying but also because I knew if I survived I would end up the last and I didn't want that. What we do now, your family and me, is what I used to have on a grand scale. I used to be able to feel every single inhabitant of Gallifrey and when it was destroyed all the voices went silent and I nearly went mad. Alan's wife, Rose, was my first companion after that happened and she helped me. She started out a friend and became a lover until I lost her and after that I nearly went mad again because she was my whole world and healed me and turned me into the man you see before you. Then Alan was born after she came back and I left her there with him to take care of him. Then they fell in love and when I found them again, we became friends while I fell in love with your mother. Your mother was the first mind that I linked up with after everything that happened and it was wonderful because I had a small sample of what I used to have and that helped to heal me again along with the friendship and love from everyone on board this ship. Then all of us except Mingxia became Gallifreyan and our minds linked completely and I finally think that I'm back to being the man that I was before the Time War happened. Not completely healed from all the trauma because that will never happen, not after all I've seen, but I'm to a place where I can enjoy life and traveling the way I used to. But actually, to be truthful, it's better than before because I have a family on board with me and I get tons of love and support from them. Whereas it used to be just me and the occasional companion or two."

He smiled.

"And once I figure out a way to turn you into a Time Lady you'll see exactly what I'm talking about," he said, rubbing her arm. "When you're able to feel everyone's mind in your own you'll see how truly wonderful it is."

_Brother, we're on our way back. We have Shoji's parents with us._

_Okay, I'll power up the TARDIS, hurry._

"Speaking of how wonderful it is to have other Time Lords and Ladies about, your uncle just contacted me telepathically. They have Shoji's mum and dad and they're coming back so you sit here and keep me company and I'll start the TARDIS."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The door opened and the Doctor and Jenny stepped around the console when Shoji led his parents across the threshold and up the ramp. Both of them stared at the console room in awe while Alan let the rest of them come inside and shut the door behind them.

"Mother, father, this is the Doctor. He's the other brother who saved me," he said, pointing to him.

The Doctor bowed low.

"It's an honor," he said as Jenny followed suit. "This is my daughter, Jenny, and if you wait a moment, I'll gather the rest of my family out here."

He sent a telepathic summons to them.

"So, may I ask your names?" he said after he finished.

The man smiled.

"I am Jiro," he said.

"And I am Kameko," the woman said.

The Doctor bowed again. His family came through the door and the Doctor formally introduced them all. They all bowed in return.

Rose stepped up to them.

"Would you like some tea while we ride to Hokkaido?" she asked them.

They nodded.

"Follow us please," she replied.

The Doctor stepped back and everyone except Alan led them to the living room. He walked over to the console with him.

"Brother, Shoji needed an explanation for all of this to give to his parents so he told them we were kami and that we had answered his and Harumi's prayers and came from the spirit world to save them and take them to safety. He told me privately that he knows we're not, but his parents were more likely to get on board the TARDIS if they thought we were benevolent spirits. So just in case you hear them call you kami, that's why."

The Doctor nodded.

"I don't know why I insisted that Harumi not call us sorcerers," he said while they rushed around the console and took the ship into the vortex. "That's the only way she knows how to explain all this, just like Shoji had to tell his parents we were kami. I should have kept my mouth shut and just let Harumi believe we were sorcerers, would have said me a lot of wasted breath."

"Ah, but wasted breath is what you're famous for, Te'lesau," Alan said, winking.

The Doctor chuckled. Alan gave him the location of the sisters' houses and he set the coordinates. While they flew it, he filled him in on what Jenny had said. Alan shook his head.

"I have a feeling that's part of that damned programming they gave her in the machine. I'm sure they programmed her not to be afraid so she'd jump right in there and annihilate the Hath. So naturally, if she feels fear now she gets confused and thinks it's childish and cowardly."

"I have a feeling you're right, Alan. Which is why I want it fixed so she can be a normal Time Lady. For the thousandth time, damn them for messing with my genetics and messing up her DNA!"

The TARDIS landed and powered down. He checked the monitor.

"Takikawa, right?"

"That's the one."

"We're here then. But we'll let them rest a minute and have a cuppa to calm their nerves. In the meantime, I'll have a quick dekko and see where we parked."

He looked out the door and saw they were in a field about a half mile from a large village. He looked all around but no one else was in sight. He went back in and shut the door.

"Think it's that way," he said pointing off to his left. "'Bout a half mile, give or take. After this, I say we head back into the vortex and leave Japan behind before we do get nabbed."

"Fine with me."

He and his brother sat on the jump seat.

"I noticed they didn't say anything about us being twins."

"Oh, trust me, we thoroughly prepared them for that," Alan said.

He smiled while he and his brother put their feet up on the rim. He glanced up at the ceiling.

"Twins bring disaster to their family. I hope that doesn't apply to us and our family."

"Why?" Alan asked. "Do you think we do?"

"I hope not but sometimes I wonder."

Alan shrugged.

"I don't think we do. If you're referring to the trouble that follows us, that's just part and parcel of the work we do. Doesn't mean we're disaster magnets or bad luck or ill omens or whatever else they believe twins are. Anyway, we're not twins in the traditional sense of the word. I doubt whoever thought that up had clones in mind. It's just superstitious Earth rubbish, brother. You know better than to believe that kind of malarkey."

"I know but I couldn't help but think of that when he mentioned the whole bringing disaster to families bit."

Alan sighed and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"For the last time, Te'lesau," he said to him, "quit thinking that the moment you have some shred of happiness the sky is gonna fall and destroy it. Nothing is gonna happen. You aren't gonna lose them or me. We're not going anywhere so stop thinking that way."

He nodded.

"I know, brother, but old habits die hard."

"I understand completely, but you have to quit that. You can't go around your entire lives thinking there's a black raincloud over your head with a lightning bolt just poised to strike. Believe it or not, every once in a great while, the sun does choose to shine on you which is why you have a family of seven traveling with you now."

"Love?" Rain said as she walked through the back door.

"And here's a huge ray of sunshine right now!" Alan said pointing at her.

Rain stopped and giggled.

"I'm not sunshine, I'm Rain, remember."

"Hardy har har," Alan said while she and the Doctor laughed. "For purposes of our discussion, you are sunshine and let's leave it at that."

"Okay, fine with me," Rain said, shrugging, while she walked up beside her husband.

She gave him a kiss.

"It just astounds me how confident you are that that's your husband when we're both wearing the exact same thing," Alan said to her.

"I told you, it's your eyes, I can tell who is who by your eyes."

They looked at each other.

"I don't see a difference," Alan said, shrugging.

"You don't see how ancient they are?"

"No, I see how beady they are."

He ducked when the Doctor smacked his head.

"I'm glad you know who's who though. Makes it much easier on me and less painful since I don't want the wife beating my brains out when she accidentally walks in on you kissing me."

"Nah, I'll never make that mistake. Besides you don't even smell the same."

They both stared at her.

"Brother dear smell a bit manky, does he?" Alan said.

"I assume manky means rotten or something similar to that."

"Eh, yeah, along those lines."

"Nope, he smells very good."

"And what do I smell like?"

She grinned and got down in his ear.

"The universe."

Alan giggled when the Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Really? I just took a shower this morning. You sure it's not my Old Spice?"

"Sure it's not his bean burrito farts? You know how much the man loves his Mexican food," Alan said.

"Okay, you two," she said as they bent over laughing.

The Doctor took an experimental whiff of the side of his left hand.

"I smell like I normally smell," he said to Alan.

"Which I think is her point, brother."

He sniffed again and looked at her with bulging eyes.

"This is the smell of the universe?" he said holding his hand up to her.

Rain eyed him while Alan laughed hysterically.

"I give up, alright? You don't understand. It's not your hand, it's you. It's time and space; it permeates your very being, alright?"

"Sure it's not his dysentery? Traveling all over time and space eating the food and drinking the water has given him a continuous case of the trots and the scat does tend to smell after awhile especially if he doesn't catch it in time and he gets soiled Y-fronts."

"Grow up!" she said as they howled with laughter. "Oh God, you guys are disgusting sometimes. Look, I was coming out here to tell you that we're ready to go to Shoji's sisters' houses whenever you want to go but if you're gonna be gross and mock me, I'm going in back with the others."

"Oooooh, come 'ere," the Doctor said, leaping up behind her and taking her around the middle when she started to walk away. "I'm sorry we had a laugh at your expense. I believe you about the whole smelling like the universe and ancient eyes thing. Won't be the first time someone said something like that to me.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm glad that my whole smelling like the universe thing pleases you," he said looking over her shoulder. "As for his parents, we're ready when you lot are. So you just take your smell of milk and honey shampoo and body wash back to the living room and inform them we're ready? Okay, Latara?"

She nodded and they shared a kiss before she walked off. The Doctor sat back down and watched her go. Once she was out of earshot, he laughed and looked at his brother.

"Continuous case of the trots? Brilliant!" he said to him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Everyone filed out into the console room so they could walk the half mile to the village. The Doctor held back watching everyone. He watched Shoji interacting with his parents. They didn't seem upset that he had one arm but he reasoned they were probably thankful he was alive at all. Still, something had been gnawing at his mind for a few hours now. He glanced at Rain up near the door and mentally asked her to come to him. She turned and made her way back through the crowd.

"Yes, love?"

"Can I talk to you privately for a moment? I'm in a bit of a quandary and I need your opinion."

"Of course."

He took her hand and led her through the back door.

"Thete, what's wrong?" Rain asked when she saw the anguish on her husband's face.

"I feel so conflicted, Latara."

"Why?"

"Because I can help Shoji. I can help him and yet, I'm not sure I should."

Rain put a hand on his chest.

"What do you mean, love?'

"My TARDIS could make Shoji a new limb. A prosthesis, but it would look and feel and move like a real one."

Rain's face brightened.

"He could get his hand back!" she said.

"Yes. But love, here's my dilemma. They didn't have artificial limbs at this point in history. If I give it to him I risk changing history. So here I am in this TARDIS that could make a limb that could help him and yet, I don't know if I should."

Rain thought.

"Would it look fake?" she asked him.

"No, the TARDIS can make it match his arm exactly and make it fit so perfectly that no one would be able to tell even with his shirt off. It would move naturally. It would even sweat like a normal limb."

"Can you explain to Shoji what it is and ask him to keep it to himself? I mean he seems to have accepted the TARDIS without much of an explanation and if his parents think you're kami then he could just say you gave him a new arm and that would satisfy them."

"But what if someone gets a hold of it and sees it for what it is?"

"Thete, it's 1510. People here don't have big laboratories where they could examine it and take it apart and duplicate it. I doubt they even know what a gear is, let alone know all the parts it would have inside it."

The Doctor paused and considered that.

"Yes, my love," she said, nodding when she saw realization dawning, "if someone does find out about it, what are they gonna do? They can't do anything except realize it's a fake arm. Unless another alien or time traveler comes along and builds a similar arm, that's as far as it goes and then when he dies, the arm goes with him. So why not help him so he can keep on being a farmer and support his family and possibly Harumi?"

He took hold of her arms.

"I knew it was a good idea to run this by ya," he said.

She kissed him.

"What's a wife for?" she said, shrugging.

"Okay, I'll give him a new arm then."

She grinned at that.

He took her hand and led them back into the console room. They found Shoji near the front and he and Rain walked up to them.

"Shoji, can we talk to you for a moment?" he said.

"Of course, Doctor-san," he said.

"Please follow us," he said.

While he led him back to the laboratory, he mentally told the rest of his family what his plans were. He smiled when he felt the joy they had at hearing that.

"I'm going to help you out, Shoji, but you must promise me that you'll keep my gift to you a secret, alright?"

"Yes, Doctor-san."

"I want you to have a normal life and be able to farm without assistance so I'm going to give you a fake arm and hand that will move like a real limb and allow you to farm and do all you need to do to be successful in life."

Shoji was stunned.

"You can make me a new hand?"

"Yes, I can," he said, smiling.

"I…I don't know what to say. I am in your debt, Doctor-san."

"There's no need, Shoji, just have a long and happy and prosperous life, that's more than enough repayment for me."

Shoji bowed his head deeply.

"And if I were you, Shoji, I'd tell your parents that the kami magically gave you your hand back."

"Yes, I think that's exactly what I'll tell them."

"Good, I think they'll accept that more than what I'm really going to do."

They entered the lab and the Doctor escorted Shoji over to a machine that had a large hole in the front. There was a stool in front of it and he asked him to sit down.

"Now, I want you to put your hand and lower arm into this hole and let me analyze it. Don't be afraid, it's completely painless."

Shoji nodded and did as he was asked. The Doctor hit a few buttons and moved a dial while the TARDIS analyzed his arm for duplication. Rain stood nearby with her hand on Shoji's shoulder keeping him calm while her husband did his work.

While he was doing the analysis, Alan and Rose came in the lab.

"I'm so glad you're doing this, Brother," he said. "Do you need any help from us?"

"No, I've got it. I'm just allowing the TARDIS to get a look at his arm and hand for duplication."

They walked up behind him while he adjusted a dial and stared at a tiny monitor on the top of the machine.

We told everyone we had a delay so Donna and Jenny made them comfortable on the jump seat and everyone else got them tea," Rose said.

"Good. Shouldn't be too long here," the Doctor said, glancing at her.

He smiled when the analysis was complete. He let Shoji take his arm out and he stood with the others while the Doctor walked over to a large metallic box nearby. He glanced at another monitor on the side of it while they heard a strange hissing coming from it and saw a tiny amount of steam leaking from a seam running around the middle of it. It did that for about three minutes and then the top half of the box lifted up revealing a realistic arm. The Doctor took it and examined it while the box closed back up. He pinched the fingers and moved them back and forth, then moved the wrist and finally the elbow before he nodded to himself.

"Here you are, Shoji, a new arm," he said, walking to him.

He smiled when he saw the stunned look on his face.

"You are amazing, Doctor-san."

"Weeeeell, just want to help out a new friend is all," he said.

He instructed Shoji to hitch up the sleeve of his kimono and he slipped the open end of the arm onto his stump. There was a suction sound and the end molded itself around the stump. It was such a perfect fit there was no visible seam. Shoji stared at it in wonder.

"Now, try to move your fingers," the Doctor said, pointing to it.

He stared at the hand and tried to move the digits. He let out a gasp and everyone grinned when the fingers began to wiggle. He held the hand up to his face and wiggled them again, hardly daring to believe his eyes. The Doctor looked at his family and they grinned. He looked around and saw a beaker on a nearby counter.

"Shoji, try to pick that up," he said, pointing to it.

Shoji nodded and walked over. He put the hand around the beaker and grinned when it closed and he picked it up. He turned and held it aloft triumphantly while everyone clapped and cheered. He turned, set it back down and walked back over.

"You are amazing, Doctor-san, I cannot say that enough. You have done more for me than any man has ever done. You are truly a brother in my eyes."

The Doctor blushed.

"I'm honored by that, Shoji," he said. "Now that you have your new limb, let's get going so you can see your family again."

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His parents were equally thrilled to see Shoji's new arm and the Doctor accepted their grateful thanks for his and his fellow spirit's mercy for their son. After they had gotten through thanking him, everyone walked out and escorted them towards their sisters' houses. All the way there the Doctor and his family grinned at Shoji who kept staring at his new arm in wonder and touching the realistic skin.

When they reached his families' houses, Shoji invited them all in to meet everyone and begged them to stay for supper. They agreed and all of them sat on the floor in the front room of the house of his sister, Megumi, while she, her sister Reiko, Harumi and Shoji's mother prepared the meal. Shoji introduced all of them as kami since he had to explain his arm being cut off to justify why he was there and he told them the new arm had been magically given to him by the Doctor, the senior kami. Once they heard that, the family treated them with reverence which made the Doctor and his family uncomfortable but they bore it silently knowing it was part of the ruse. After an hour and a half of talking, the meal was ready and the family gave the Doctor the head of the table out of respect. Everyone else sat around them and enjoyed a meal of fish, rice, soup and various vegetables along with hot tea. The meal was delicious and everyone continued to chat while they ate. The Doctor used what he knew about Japanese culture and folklore to answer any kami questions that were directed his way. The Doctor loved Shoji's family. All of them were extremely friendly and he could tell they were loving towards Shoji and especially towards Harumi who they readily accepted as one of their own. He hoped that perhaps she and Shoji would marry someday since he knew they needed one another. There were times during his travels that he often wondered what became of the friends he had made and then reluctantly had to leave and he knew that he would think of these two often and do the same thing. He wished them both all the luck in the universe.

Once they were finished eating, they talked for another hour before the Doctor told them with regret that it was time for them to leave. They stood up and everyone in Shoji's family bowed so deeply they were parallel to the floor. The Doctor and the others did a shallower bow since the deep bow was a sign of their perceived rank and status and it would be an insult to bow lower than them. After that, they escorted them to the door, everyone put their shoes back on outside and with a wave and a chorus of goodbyes, they headed back to the TARDIS.

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They took the TARDIS back into the vortex while Jenny and Mingxia sat on the jump seat.

"Guys, I was thinking, I wanna go visit Jack and the others and Sarah Jane and also Wilf and introduce Jenny to them, plus I want to give Donna the chance to see Wilf, so how about that? You lot wanna go see Jack and the gang?"

They smiled and nodded and the Doctor set a course for Torchwood.

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Martha let out a tired sigh as she and the others shuffled back into the Hub. It had been a long day for all of them. A man who lived just outside Cardiff had been digging in his garden and accidentally unearthed a tiny fire breathing dragon that had been hibernating. The little beast proceeded to fly around making a nuisance of itself and bothering him and his neighbors. The frantic man had phoned the police who in turn had phoned them and after a lot of chasing and ducking to avoid being barbecued, they finally caught it and put it in a special fireproof enclosure. Jack was the one who had that and he came inside carrying the little purple skinned dragon in its clear Perspex cage that had been coated with the special flameproof chemical.

"I think we need to get this little guy up to the lab so we can study it," Jack said. "I just hope to God there aren't more of em lying dormant in other people's fields. One fire breathing hellion is quite enough for me."

They paused when they heard the sound of the TARDIS.

"And now he chooses to come when we could have used his help with scaly here," Jack said dryly.

Mickey took the cage from Jack so he could go meet them. He waited until they finished materializing in a corner of the room. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out. Jack stared at his kimono and hakama.

"Samurai night at the local cinema?" he said, gesturing to the outfit.

"No, we just got back from 1510 Japan."

Jack nodded.

"I just about got my hands burnt off catching a dragon, fun night for all," he said.

The Doctor made a face.

"Anyone get hurt?" he said concerned.

"Other than tripping over rocks and falling on our asses trying to outrun a fire breathing mini dragon while it chased us through a bunch of fields, no, we're perfectly fine. How's the family?"

"Well, we found another member."

"Another? How many you got in there now? I thought you were a bachelor and now here you are gathering family left and right. Are you trying to start an interstellar commune or something? Who's in there now? Rain's great-step-cousin's niece third removed or something?"

"Nope, my daughter."

Jack's eyes bulged.

"Wow, didn't take you long to have a kid with Rain, did it?"

He laughed.

"Actually no, Rain adopted her but she's not hers. Just let us come out and we'll explain it to everyone. I want you all to meet her."

"Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable and I'll make some tea for everyone."

The Doctor nodded and he walked back into the TARDIS while Jack hurried to the kitchen.

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"JENNY! OH MY GOD! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Martha screamed when she saw her.

"Martha!" Jenny said, running to her.

They embraced tightly.

"Oh my God, how?" Martha said.

"I don't know, I just woke up and I was lying on this table. After that, I ran to a rocket and left the planet."

"Oh God, Jenny, I'm sorry. We didn't know. We thought you were dead and…"

"It's alright, I understand. I'm not angry. I know you thought I was dead. Dad was the same way."

Martha hugged her again.

"I'm so glad to see you and know you're still alive."

She turned to the other members of Torchwood who were staring at her silently. Martha introduced them and Jenny waved when they waved back and said hello. Then she sat on the couch beside Martha while the Doctor leaned against the wall beside it and told them the story.

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Everyone sipped their tea and listened in stunned silence while the Doctor told them what had happened on Messaline and how they found her again. Everyone except Martha was shocked by it. Martha was shocked when he told about the condition they found her in and her heart ached, wishing they could have stayed a little bit longer when she had been so eager to get home again to her family and Tom. He looked at her and could tell she was thinner and she thanked God they had found her before the slave catchers or anyone else did. When he was finished, Jack got up and crossed to her.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm glad your dad found you again and you are most certainly welcome here anytime you want to come."

Jenny smiled.

"Thanks, Jack," she said.

"No problem. I'm sure Martha will want to see you often now."

Martha nodded. Jenny frowned.

"How come you're not traveling with dad?" she asked.

She smiled.

"Because I couldn't do that anymore. It was time for me to leave and stay here on Earth. Actually, I wasn't going to come with him when we went to Messaline but the TARDIS trapped us inside, so I had no choice. I'm engaged now and I have a job here at Torchwood. This is where I belong now. Although, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy seeing you and the Doctor and everyone else now and again, so don't be strangers."

She looked at Donna.

"I phoned Wilf the other day and checked up on him for you, Donna. He's fine, just misses you terribly."

"Thank you, Martha. I appreciate that."

"No problem. I'm happy to keep an eye on him for ya, being you're my best mate and all."

"So where are you headed next?" Mickey asked.

"Well, we wanna pop in and say hello to Sarah Jane and then Wilf so Donna can see him, after that, I'm not sure. We just got back from Japan in 1510 so we'll have to see."

"Can I ask a favor of you?" Jack asked him.

"Yes?"

"I need a component for one of our alien tech scanners. It's a karros transductor hypermodulator. I was wondering if you could give me a lift so I could go get one and finally fix the thing."

"Sure, I can take you to get one. I know a shop on Xerxes in the Vega system that sells inexpensive ones."

"Thanks, I appreciate it, buddy."

"As long as you don't mind a few meet and greet stops beforehand."

"I don't mind. I wouldn't mind saying hello to Sarah Jane and Wilf."

They chatted for another hour before they finally decided to move on. They gave everyone hugs.

"Keep out of trouble, guys," Jack said. "I'll probably be back in two seconds or so."

"Have fun, Jack," Gwen said.

"Be careful," Ianto added.

"I will. If I don't get back right away, look after the place and keep an eye on scaly."

They waved one last time before Jack followed everyone into the TARDIS. The Torchwood team stepped back, watched while they vanished and when they didn't reappear after a minute, began taking the dirty cups to the kitchen.

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Sarah Jane stood in her kitchen fixing supper while Luke, Rani and Clyde sat at the table working on homework. She was making them bangers and mash while the three of them helped each other with their science assignment.

"Now Luke, don't help them with all the questions. Let them figure some of it out," Sarah Jane chided when she heard him giving them another answer.

"I will, mum."

Their heads rose up when they heard the sound of the TARDIS. Sarah Jane smiled.

"Rani, honey, can you mind this for a moment while I go greet the Doctor?" she said, gesturing to the food on the stove.

"Sure, Sarah Jane."

Rani got up from the table while Sarah Jane hurried to the door. They heard her greeting the Doctor warmly and a few minutes later she led them all into the kitchen. The three teens greeted them and everyone waved back. On the way over, all of them had changed back into their normal clothes and the Doctor put his hands in his brown trouser pockets while he glanced around.

"Where's the other girl? Um…Maria, was it?"

"Yes, Maria's her name. She lives in Washington D.C. with her father. She was just visiting for the weekend when you were here."

He nodded and took Jenny's hand. He introduced her to everyone and she waved.

"Whoa, she's well fit," Clyde muttered to Luke.

"It's nice to meet you, Jenny. Would you like to come into the living room? I'm finishing up supper at the moment. Have all of you eaten?"

"Yes, we have," the Doctor said as everyone nodded.

"Okay, well come in the other room and we can talk while it's cooking," she said.

The three teens followed them into the living room. They sat down and the Doctor told them the same story he had told Torchwood. Luke was stunned.

"So, she was created like I was?" he said.

"Yes, she was."

"Wow, you're not the only one then," Rani said to him.

"She's lovely, Doctor," Sarah Jane said when he finished. "I'm so glad you found her. Your little family just keeps growing by the minute."

"I know," he said as his family laughed.

"Let me check the food right now while there's a break in the conversation. Excuse me," Sarah Jane said, getting up from her chair.

A moment later, she called for the teens to come and fix their plates and they headed into the kitchen. All four emerged a moment later with plates and glasses of milk. They settled back down and ate while all of them chatted. The Doctor told them what they had just done, being sure to leave out the gory details of Shoji's dismemberment since they were eating. The teens were in awe.

"Wow, samurai, that sounds ace," Clyde said. "Wish I could have seen that."

"I'm glad you were able to rescue them and get them to safety," Sarah Jane said. "That poor man. That was absolutely unconscionable for them to do that to him. I'm glad you gave him a prosthetic arm."

"Yes and history seems to be unaltered so I guess I didn't make an error in judgment doing that," the Doctor said.

"Where are you heading to next?" Sarah Jane asked.

"We're going to see Wilf next. Then we have to go to Xerxes for Jack. He needs to pick up a part for a scanner. Then we'll take him back and I'm not sure where we go from there. We might just hang out in the TARDIS for a bit and rest before deciding."

"Can I ask you something?" Rani said.

"Sure," the Doctor said, smiling.

"I'm relatively new to all this so I'm sorry if I'm a bit thick but have you done this awhile, this time traveling?"

They laughed.

"Oh yeah," he said as they laughed harder. "Almost a thousand years."

Her eyes popped out while the two boys went, "Whoa!" in unison.

"So, you've been almost everywhere then?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Not absolutely everywhere but I've seen a fair chunk of the universe."

"And how long did Sarah Jane travel with you?"

"Blimey, Sarah, how long were you with me? Help an old geezer out, will ya?" he said as they laughed.

She smiled.

"Four years, you silly old thing," she said fondly.

"Ah yes, four years, thank you. Yes, she traveled with me in my third and fourth lives."

"What life are you on now?" Clyde asked.

"My tenth."

They stared at him and then looked at Sarah Jane.

"You didn't see him for six lives?" Rani asked.

She shook her head.

"But that's different for him and for me. It's been decades for me, centuries for him," she said as he nodded in agreement.

"How many people have you had traveling with you?" Luke asked.

They laughed when his eyes bulged out.

"It's a lot, trust me, Luke, "Alan said. "By companion though, do you mean people who have traveled with him more than once or just anybody who helped him out because if it's the latter, I don't think we can even begin to count how many it was. I would say…close to forty or forty five regulars over a thousand year span, that sound right, brother?"

"I think so," he said, glancing at him. "It's definitely been more than thirty."

"And these are the latest ones?" Rani said, gesturing to his family.

"Well, I consider these people my family more than just traveling companions but Rose, Jack and Donna traveled with me before I met Awinita, Rain, Jenny and Mingxia and Alan traveled with me technically since he was a hand but I wouldn't consider him a companion at that point. And Jack doesn't travel with me full time anymore; he's just hitching a ride so he can go get the component for his machine. He's more like a part time traveler now."

"Yeah, I have my own companions to look after, mine and some I adopted from him. I love traveling when I can with the Doctor but I can't do it full time, not with the responsibilities I have. I'm sure Sarah Jane's the same way."

She nodded.

"Yes. Plus, I'm too old to go around time and space full time. It's rough enough managing things on Earth. Although, I'm the same way. I wouldn't mind a trip now and then but full time again, no."

She paused a moment and looked at the Doctor.

"Listen, I just baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip biscuits for the kids but I have a ton left over. Would you like some?"

The Doctor's family laughed when he shook his head vigorously.

"You are speaking my language, Sarah," he said.

"I thought so," she said. "I'll put them in a container for you, excuse me."

She took her empty plate and glass and headed back into the kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later with fifteen biscuits in a plastic container.

"Ah, thank you, Sarah, much appreciated."

"You're very welcome."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and took his hand.

"Now, before you go running off again, I want to ask you if you'll bring the family for Christmas this year?"

They glanced at each other.

"I think we can manage that," he said to her.

She looked at Jack.

"And that includes you and your friends, Jack. I promise I'll make more than enough food for everyone."

"I'll be there with bells on and so will the rest of us."

"Good, I just wanted to make sure you knew you were welcome to come before you go disappearing on me again. You know you're a very hard man to get in touch with."

"Do you have a mobile?"

"Of course."

"Let me see it. I'll give you universal roaming and if we are in this universe you can call me anywhere from time and space and we can talk."

"Oh! Thank you, Doctor. I'd love that!"

He smiled while Sarah Jane went to retrieve her mobile from her purse. He brought out his screwdriver.

"You gonna do that for me too?" Jack asked him.

"You gonna be reasonable about calling me?"

"Yes!" he said as they laughed. "I'm not gonna bother you 24/7. God!"

"Just havin' ya on, Jack. Calm down," he said.

Jack reached into his pocket and gave him his mobile.

"I'll do this for Wilf too, Donna, so he can contact you rather than wait till you contact him," he said to her.

"Thanks, Doctor, he'll appreciate that."

The teens glanced at each other and came forward to watch with fascination while the Doctor used the screwdriver to give Jack universal roaming.

"And Sarah Jane really will be able to call you even if you're somewhere back in time?" Rani asked.

"Yup, anywhere…well, wait… there was one time it went out of range with Rose."

She nodded.

"Yeah, but that was the only time. I've never had a problem with it before or after that," she said. "I've called my mum from the year 5 billion before."

The teen's jaws dropped open.

"Can we come with you sometime?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah, I wanna go to the year 5 billion," Rani said.

The Doctor handed Jack's mobile to him and took Sarah Jane's.

"It's fine with me, but I think Sarah has the final say," he said.

They looked at her.

"Not today because he's busy helping Jack run an errand and he's probably exhausted from being in Japan but maybe one day you can take a quick trip."

They grinned at each other while Sarah Jane smiled and shook her head.

"Better watch it, Sarah Jane, "Awinita said. "They may get the time traveling bug."

"I think they already have that just listening to him and me talking about it," Sarah Jane replied.

He finished with her mobile and gave it back to her.

"Do you have my number?"

He shook his head.

"I'll give it to you, wait a tic."

She went over to a secretary desk and got a pad and pencil. She jotted down the number and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said. "Um…"

He reached into his jacket pockets, got his pad and pencil and jotted down the number for Martha's mobile.

"Mister Smith probably already has this in his database but just in case you're out and about and need to reach me…" he said, handing it to her.

"Thank you," Sarah said.

She went and put it in her purse along with her mobile.

They chatted for another hour before they decided to leave so the kids could finish their homework. Sarah hugged all of them tightly and hugged Jenny tightest of all.

"I'm so glad he found you. Please come back and see me and pester your dad to come back here for your first Christmas so you can have a proper celebration with family and friends."

She smiled.

"I will, Sarah Jane."

"Take care."

"You too and look after Luke and his friends."

"Oh, I will, trust me."

She took the Doctor and Alan's hands.

"Come here a moment," she said to them.

They followed her to her study. She pointed to the wall and they saw their family portrait hanging above her computer.

"That has a place of honor and I look at it all the time and think of you," she said. "And if you decide to get another one so you can include Donna and Jenny then please let me have another so I can replace it."

They smiled and both hugged her tightly.

"Oh, be careful, my beautiful boys, and look after that gorgeous family of yours," she said.

"You too, Sarah," the Doctor said.

"Please be careful, fighting aliens and monsters. We worry about you just as much as you worry about us," Alan said.

She hugged them tighter and they did the same in return. She gave them kisses on their cheeks and smiled when they pulled away and kissed her cheeks in return. Then taking their hands, she led them back out to the living room.

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After saying their goodbyes there, the Doctor went over to Chiswick. Wilf met them at the TARDIS door and they ushered him inside. He hugged Donna and kissed her cheek.

"Sylvia's still not talking to me, I take it?" the Doctor said, closing the door.

Wilf shook his head.

"I've tried to talk to her, Doctor but there's no convincing her. I doubt she'll ever accept you."

The Doctor shook his head.

"Normally, I wouldn't care but this is Donna's mother and in the interest of family peace, I wish she'd just accept us the way Rose and Martha's mothers did."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I really am. I've tried to get through to her…"

"You might as well not bother, Wilf. I appreciate you trying to mend fences between us but some people can't change their minds. At least Donna can see you though and if you want to see your mum, Donna, we'll wait here while you do that."

"I don't know, would she even want to see me?" Donna asked.

"She loves ya, sweetie, she really does. But she's still angry now so I wouldn't risk it. You'll get an earful if you walk through that door."

She shook her head.

"I can't understand her. I have a better life now than I ever had as a temp. But then again, she always was a bit jealous of people who did more than she ever did. Anyway, it's good to see you, Grandad."

"You too, sweetheart. Where's the rest of the family?"

"Back in the back and we have a new member we want you to meet."

"Another one? My, my you're just picking them up left and right," he said as the Doctor and Donna laughed.

He followed them both towards the living room.

He sat on the couch and the Doctor told him the same story he had told everyone else while he gave Wilf universal roaming. Wilf kept glancing at Jenny and smiling at her while he listened.

"So there's another one that's been cloned from your hand," Wilf said when he finished. "I think you better start keeping your hands to yourself, Doctor."

They laughed and the Doctor nodded.

"Yes, I seem to keep creating these new people from my DNA and then adopting them as family members. You're right; I will have to curb this nasty habit."

He gave the mobile back to him.

"Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate this."

"You're welcome. Now, it'll only work in this universe so if you can't reach her we're probably across the void somewhere. But keep trying because I'll try to keep coming back over here as much as I can."

Wilf nodded and put the mobile in his pocket.

"So, what have you been doing since the last time we talked?" he asked.

They chatted with him filling him in on their adventures. Wilf shook his head when they finished.

"I have to tell you, I'm just in awe of each and every one of you for doing this because I know I couldn't. Donna, you have a lot of guts to do this, face all these monsters and evil people and come back for more."

"Yeah, but that's only a small part of it. It's beautiful out there, Grandad, wonderful beyond belief. That's the part that keeps me wantin' more."

He looked at Jenny.

"And are you the same way?"

"I love it," she said as she leaned against the Doctor's legs. I love traveling, seeing all the different sights. It was interesting when I was alone but it's fantastic being with my dad and my family and seeing it. I'm definitely the same way. And Japan was the first trip I had back in time and I definitely want more of that."

"Okay, we'll take you back to the formation of the Earth and set you down between two steams of lava and turn ya loose!"

They laughed when Jenny looked at Alan.

"I don't think I wanna go there then," she said as Alan pinched her cheek affectionately.

She pointed up to him.

"He's so unlike dad, it's amazing," she said.

"I know, because I'm like ginger gal over there!" Alan said, pointing to Donna.

Wilf looked at her.

"Do you feel weird knowing that he grew outta you?"

"YES!" she said as they roared with laughter. "A male alien clone that's half me is very weird and it took awhile to get used to it. Ah, but he's a sweetie and hilarious as hell and I couldn't imagine life now without him in it. He's the entertaining side of the Doctor."

"I'm entertaining," the Doctor said incensed while they laughed.

"Not as entertaining as me," Alan said.

"Yeah, you're right about that," he said while they laughed harder.

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Donna hugged Wilf tightly.

"I'll try to be home for Christmas," she said to him. "Sarah Jane wants us to come round to her house and I'll pop by and say hello."

"I'll keep my eyes open for ya, my shining star. Be careful and keep these two in line," he said, winking at the Doctor and Alan.

"Oh, always!" she said as they laughed.

Wilf went around, hugging the women and shaking hands with the men. He got to Jenny and hugged her tightly.

"Nice to meet ya, sweetheart. Take care and I'll see ya when your dad comes back this way."

"Thanks, Wilf, I'll look forward to seeing you again as well."

He broke away and waved goodbye while he walked out the door. The Doctor stood at the door watching until he got in the house safely and then closed it.

"Okay, on to Xerxes then?" he said, slapping his hands together.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Jack wandered the TARDIS corridors loving the activity that was around him. He had loved it when he traveled with them for the meet and greet, so unlike the silence that permeated the ship when he traveled with Rose and the Doctor's moody self. And now there was a new face to add to it. Jack wondered how many more would be added before it was done. He hoped a lot since every new person meant more company in the centuries to come.

He paused and grinned when Mingxia and Awinita walked by him laughing.

"Evening ladies," he said.

"Hey, Jack!" they both said, looking back at him.

He walked on. Alan came out of the kitchen and grinned at him.

"Welcome back to the circus, Jack, where women rule the roost," he said to him.

"Too right, Stitch," Rose said, following him.

"Yeah, but we have one more male now," Alan said to her.

"Not for long. Besides, still more female than male," Rose said. "There's 6 of us and 2 of you."

"Actually," Rain said, leaning out of the living room, "we only count him and my husband as one since they're physically the same man."

"Yeah, you got a point. Okay, there's 6 of us and 1 of you."

She stuck her tongue between her teeth and laughed when Alan chased her down the hall. Rain watched them and gasped when the Doctor turned the corner and almost collided with them.

"Oi! Use some turn signals or a horn or a bell if you're gonna do that. I would like to get through the day without regenerating!"

"Sorry, Doctor," Rose said.

"Sorry, Brother, now if you'll excuse me…"

Rose yelled when he resumed the chase. The Doctor shook his head and headed towards Jack who was chuckling. On the way there, Donna came out of the living room and stopped him.

"You know, when I told ya you were trying to turn your sports car into a people carrier, I was only havin' ya on, you do realize that, doncha?" she said. "I didn't mean for you to go out and actually do it!"

He laughed and nodded. She smiled at him and got in his ear.

"And see, I told ya you were wrong, didn't I?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, I was very wrong and you were right, you brilliant, clever woman," he said.

"Told ya."

She gave him a peck on the cheek and headed off towards the kitchen.

"Wrong about what?" Jack asked as he walked up towards him.

"When we were on Messaline, I didn't accept Jenny at first because I didn't think of her as anything other than a soldier and when I did finally come around, I began acting like a concerned dad. Donna saw this shocked look on my face at one point and told me I had dad shock and I told her it wasn't that. I lost everything when Gallifrey burnt including everyone's mind and I told her no one could help me fill the emptiness from that, not Jenny or anyone else and Donna told me she thought I was wrong and bless that wise woman, she was right because not only has Jenny filled the hole but so has everyone else here."

Jack smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that, old friend. This activity is what you needed. You needed people around you, especially your own kind and now you have it. I'm glad that's healed the emptiness, not only in your head but your hearts too."

He smiled and nodded.

"Ask him, honey," they heard Rain say.

The Doctor turned his head and saw her and Jenny standing by the door.

"Me?" the Doctor said, pointing to himself.

Rain nodded.

"Ask me what?"

Jenny glanced at Rain and walked over to him.

"You said after we get Jack this component he needs that you didn't know what to do next. Can we go spend Christmas with Sarah Jane and her family?"

The Doctor glanced at Jack.

"If we did, we'd have to let you off at the Hub, unless you just wanna gather everyone together and ride in the TARDIS with us."

"Well, if we do that, I wanna at least go somewhere to shop and get presents so I'd have something to give her and I'm sure they'd wanna do too," Jack said.

"Oh we can do that. We can go anywhere and get that done before we head there, that's no big deal," he said, shrugging. "And now that Sarah has universal roaming I can call her and tell her we're definitely going to come so they can plan for us. But yes, if you wanna go ahead and do that, we can."

"Oh! Thank you!" Jenny said, hugging him.

Jack smiled when he hugged her back tightly.

"I s'pose then we can also do a bit of shopping when you pick up the component," the Doctor said, letting go. "And I think perhaps we should get our family photo updated with Donna and Jenny and we can give that to her as one of the presents since she said she wanted one."

"What about me?"

"What about you?" he said to Jack.

"Well, can I be in the picture? I mean, I realize I'm not officially family but I like to think of myself as sort of an unofficial family member. Can I be in it too?"

He smiled.

"Eh, why not? After all, you're gonna be around just as long as we are."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So…we're counting him too as family?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor glanced at him and scratched his cheek.

"Well…I guess so. Like I said, you're gonna be around long after everyone else has died and you've been a great friend all these years, might as well adopt you into the loony bin."

Jack grinned.

"So…I'm her uncle then?" he said, pointing to Jenny as Rain walked up beside them.

"If you do the bonding ceremony with the Doctor, you would be," Rain said. "After all, I assume you're gonna do that with Mingxia since you said you wanted her to be family."

He nodded.

"Bonding ceremony?" Jack said.

"On Gallifrey everyone was loomed so there really weren't any brothers or sisters in the traditional sense. Everyone was sorted into houses afterwards and those in the house were considered cousins to everyone else. But if someone wanted to adopt someone as a symbolic brother or sister to differentiate from their cousins they conducted this special ceremony that binded them together and in Gallifreyan eyes they were brother or sister to each other. That's what Alan and I did with Awinita and what Alan did with Rain. Technically, Rain is also my sister since she's Alan's sister but that's been ignored since we're married. But we've done it now with Donna and then we'll be doing it with Mingxia to make her one of us. If you want in on this family you'll have to go through it, I assume with me since then you'd be Alan's brother through me. Then everyone here would be your sister except for Jenny who'd be your niece."

"Cool."

He thought.

"Rose and Rain wouldn't be my sisters though, they'd be my sisters-in-law."

Rain shook her head.

"We don't use that because it's too formal and distant sounding. Rose told everyone back when they got married to think of her as a sister and we do and I insist on the same."

Jack nodded.

The Doctor stared at him for a moment. He called for his brother telepathically and when he came up, he explained their plan.

"Wonderful," Alan said smiling. "Finally, another man to balance out all the women."

"There's one thing that I've thought of regarding Jack," he said to Alan.

Alan and Jack glanced at each other.

"And that is…" Alan said.

"Well, when Imiko comes back, Mingxia is going to become Gallifreyan and we're gonna ask her to fix whatever they did to Jenny because she's not a full Time Lady at the moment. Now if she does that, they'll be able to feel our minds and communicate telepathically. Now, I can do what I first did with Rain and build a connection in his mind but it would only allow him to sense me, not speak to us. So, I'm wondering if perhaps Imiko might fix that and allow him to sense and communicate with us without becoming Gallifreyan."

"It's worth asking, Brother," Alan replied, shrugging.

The Doctor looked at him.

"Unless…you wanna become Gallifreyan? You know, she might be able to cure your immortality," he said.

_Brother, wouldn't that interfere with him becoming the Face of Boe?_ Alan thought to him.

_Not necessarily,_ the Doctor thought back, _we don't know for sure if he really is Boe. That could have just been a coincidence._

_Yes, but should we risk it? What if we're wrong and history gets changed? _

"So, if I did become Gallifreyan, I would get the two hearts and regenerations?"

The Doctor nodded. Jack thought.

"See, the thing is, I really have come to terms with who and what I am and this immortality has come in quite handy on numerous occasions. If you don't mind, I'd rather just stay this way and gain this whole telepathy thing you're talking about."

"You're sure, Jack?" Rain asked.

He nodded.

"Yeah, the kind of work I do I really do need it as a safety net. I have people under my care and I really can't risk dying and regenerating and then eventually dying permanently, not while they're my responsibility. But like I said, I wouldn't mind the whole telepathy thing with all of you so if you could ask her for that then hopefully she would grant that to me."

The Doctor nodded.

"So now we will have to get the family photo updated for Sarah for Christmas and do the bonding ceremony with him and Mingxia," he said to Alan. "Jenny wants to go ahead and go on to Christmas with Sarah after we get done here so I figured we could shop for some presents and then pick up the rest of Torchwood and do some more shopping then. I could phone Sarah and tell her it's a definite so when we land there on Christmas she'll be ready."

"Sounds good to me," Alan said. "Let me tell everyone else now while you're talking."

He contacted everyone and told them what was going on. The Doctor looked at Jack.

"If we do this and we take you back to the same time period afterwards, I wanna warn you not to go to London during Christmas since you'll be in two places at once then," he said.

Jack's eyes widened.

"Oh my God, we would, wouldn't we? Heh, how freaky is that. We'd be having Christmas in Cardiff and London at the same time. But you don't have to worry about that…except Martha. Martha does have her mother in London and I'm sure she'd wanna go see her but she can avoid Ealing easily."

He nodded.

"Everyone's agreed to this," Alan said, "including Mingxia, they just asked her and they want to do the family photo as well and accept Jack into our merry little clan."

"Brilliant. Well, let me go ahead and land the TARDIS so we can get the component for you then."

"I really appreciate you doing this, Doc. You didn't have to."

He shrugged.

"Actually, I do need a few things for the TARDIS as well so it's not a big deal. The old girl gets worn out quicker these days, I hate to say it, but I think she's finally beginning to feel her age. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll go land us."

He walked towards the console room.

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Finally, after some tweaking, the Rani was able to get the metamorphosis to last up to three hours without taking more of the potion. Azran stood by and watched her write down her latest findings in a log book.

"So now what, Mistress?" he asked.

"Now, I believe I will pay my old friend a little visit and discover the truth about these brand new Time Lords," she said to him. "The potion still needs a bit of refining but three hours will suffice for now. I wish to remain changed long enough to get close to him. I want to capture him along with these other Time Lords and study them to find out why they have suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"But how will you find him, Mistress? The Doctor goes all over time and space, doesn't he?"

"Indeed, but there is one sure way to track a TARDIS and a Time Lord. All TARDISes possess artron energy and all who ride in them soak it up. You and I have this harmless energy around us and so does he. As far as I know, his is the only other TARDIS left in creation so it'll be very easy to lock on to his coordinates using that and find him. Once we have landed, you and I shall do a little reconnaissance to determine the situation. After that, we shall lure these new Time Lords away from him and then after he is alone and defenseless, we will strike!"

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"Okay, so…meet back here in an hour, yeah?" the Doctor said as they all stood by the entrance to the department store on Xerxes. "Is that enough time for you to do some Christmas shopping?"

The women nodded.

"Everyone have credit sticks?"

They nodded and checked their watches.

"Okay, have fun and we'll see you in an hour," the Doctor said.

Rose and Rain kissed their husbands and then headed off to the right with the other women. The three men went off to the left towards the electronics section. While they walked, Jack glanced at Jenny.

"Doc, Jenny came out of the machine looking like she does now, right?"

"Yes," he said, glancing back at him.

"Do you have any idea how old she might be?"

The Doctor glanced at Alan beside him.

"Um…early twenties, I guess," the Doctor said. "Can't be more than 25."

"We could run a bone scan and get an exact age that way," Alan replied. "But yes, I would venture to say 23, 24 perhaps?"

"Does she have a birthday?" Jack asked.

The brothers glanced at each other.

"24th of July? That's the date you were there," Alan said.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, that would be her birthday, same as you using the day you were born as your birthday," he replied.

"But none of this was given to her in the machine?"

"Jack, they didn't even give her a proper name. Donna came up with Jenny when I called her a generated anomaly. All they really gave her besides a body and a mind was knowledge of war and war tactics so she could become cannon fodder for them. They even screwed up her Time Lady DNA which is why we need to ask Imiko to set it right. The only Time Lord aspect that she has left is her two hearts, at least that's what we've determined. She's regenerated but she did it keeping the exact same body and neither of us can figure out how that happened. But no, they gave her just the very minimum she needed to go out and fight that stupid war they had. Everything else since then that is non-military has been supplied to her or taught to her by me. If this is what happened to her I shudder to think what all the other clones were like and there was a lot of them on both sides. They went through twenty generations in a day and when we got there their war had been raging for a week."

Jack's eyes bulged.

"And they just took you and made Jenny?"

"At gunpoint. Grabbed me because our hands weren't marked like theirs were and oh, that just would never do, not with a war to fight. They grabbed me, stuck my hand in a hole, took a tissue sample and made her. Thankfully, they didn't do it to Martha or Donna because I would have took them all on singlehandedly if they had."

They reached the electronics section and went down a large aisle that had various components arranged in little plastic tubs on the shelves. Jack's eyes scanned up and down looking for what he needed while the Doctor and Alan looked on the other side of the aisle.

"So, now you're teaching her how to be more…normal, shall we say," Jack said aloud.

"Yes, I and everyone else are trying to counteract all that military programming and teach her to be a young adult woman," the Doctor said, studying a circuit board. "Rain adopted her and she's been great with her trying to give her a proper female influence and I'm happy to say it's working. She's fitting in nicely now with everyone else and she's on her way to being healthy and happy and a normal young, beautiful lady."

"Good, I'm glad. Aha, here it is," he said, picking up a small purple orb. "Thank you, we've been lost without our tech scanner."

"No problem, Jack, happy to help," the Doctor said, glancing back at him.

"I hate that I have to come all the way here to get it but I need this part so the machine will be able to recognize the millions of different non-Earth technology out there."

He walked further along scanning the parts in case he needed something else.

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"Aha, here we go, Xerxes," the Rani said when her TARDIS landed and powered down.

"And this is where they are?"

She checked the monitor mounted just above the console and nodded.

"Yes, he's in the city here about a quarter of a mile away and the others are with them. Perfect."

"So, you're going to change now?"

"Not yet, he doesn't know this body and the dampener will shield my mind from his so there is no need at the moment. However I will change when I put my plan into action. So come with me and let's see what's going on."

Azran nodded. The Rani grabbed a little pocket energy scanner and a knockout gas gun and he followed his mistress out the front door.

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The women stared at the little plastic cup of green liquid in Rain's hand. They had been looking around the store when they heard someone raving about Velox juice to someone else. They noticed the cup in their hand and decided to try it out of curiosity. They found a trolley near the back that was selling it and purchased one. The green drink had a bit of foam on the top of it like beer.

"Kinda looks like the green beer they sell for St. Patrick's Day," Awinita said as they clustered around her.

"Well, here goes nothing," Rain said.

They watched while she took a sip and licked the foam around her lips.

"It's pretty good. It tastes like lime actually," she said.

They passed it around and took sips.

"S'not bad, I wonder if they sell it in bottles though?" Rose asked.

"Wait a minute, I'll ask the guy," Mingxia said, pointing to the vendor.

They watched while she walked over and asked him. The man nodded and pointed off to his left while he gave her directions. Mingxia thanked him and walked back over.

"You guys wanna get some?"

They nodded and followed her as she led them.

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The Rani was perplexed. She was standing several feet away from the Doctor with Azran pretending to look over some items while she kept watch on him. She could sense his mind but there was something wrong. The other mind that was exactly like it belonged to a man who looked exactly like him. The third man with them was not a Time Lord but she knew he was with them since the Doctor was talking to him and addressed him as Jack. Intrigued, she neared closer to her old enemy and studied the duplicate. She knew the Doctor had no twin brothers.

"A clone?" she murmured under her breath. "It must be for him to have the same mind signature."

She was even more intrigued now. A clone of the Doctor to study, what an interesting development this was. She neared even closer.

"So after we get done here," Jack was saying to them. "Are we gonna go get the photo done so that'll be out of the way?"

"I think so. We'll run it by everyone else but I'd like to do that. We now have three new members of the family and it needs to be updated."

"Along with my birthstone ring which I still haven't had time to get fixed and keep forgetting about," Alan said.

"Birthstone ring?" Jack said.

Alan held out his hand and Jack looked at it.

"It has Awinita, Rose and my birthstones but no one else's. I want it updated or replaced," he said to him.

"It's nice."

"Yeah, Rose and Awinita got it for me for Christmas. But that's before I met Rain and everyone else which is why she wasn't included."

"I need to do this for me and my team. That's a good idea," Jack said.

He smiled and checked his watch when he pulled his arm back. He noticed there was thirty five minutes left and went back to looking at the components.

"You know, I also need to get a family photo done with my team," Jack said to them. "Especially since Mickey and Martha just joined. I don't have any photos of them yet and I want to remember them a million years from now when it's just little ol' immortal me roamin' round the universe."

The Rani perked up at that.

"Immortal?" she whispered. "A clone of the Doctor and an immortal man?"

She neared even closer to them. She glanced at the Doctor who was studying a couple of microchips intently. She moved even closer to Alan. He glanced at her and she smiled warmly. He smiled back and went back to looking at the components. She stifled a laugh at that, thinking if only the Doctor and his friends knew who she really was…"

The Doctor glanced at his watch.

"I'm done here so I'm gonna go check on the others and see what they're up to. If I don't see you again, I'll meet you up front."

They both nodded and he walked out of the aisle glancing at the Rani as he did so. The Rani remained calm and pretended to look for a moment more before she walked back to Azran.

"Keep an eye on these two. I want them both alive and unharmed for experimentation," she said in a barely audible whisper. "If they try to go back to the TARDIS, knock them out but do it only as a last resort since the Doctor will feel the clone's absence in his mind and know something is wrong."

"Yes, Mistress," Azran whispered.

She left him there and followed the Doctor. She used the scanner since she didn't want to reach out to him and risk him feeling her in his mind. She followed him until she saw him stop by a group of women and talk to them. She quickly ducked into an aisle where she could watch and listen but not be seen.

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"Hello, my lovelies, find any Christmas presents?" he asked.

"A couple, "Rose said. "We also found this drink called Velox juice. You ever heard of it?"

He shook his head and they gave him the plastic cup that had a tiny bit left in it. He took a sip and licked his lips.

"Mmm, very good," he said, nodding.

"Yeah, we all got bottles of it," Rain said as they showed them the plastic bottles in their hands. "We got you guys some too. Um…we didn't know if you'd tried it or not but we figured you might like it."

"Thanks for that. So besides this delectable little drink, you've had some success with Christmas shopping?"

They nodded.

"We found these 3D holographic video games and got them for the kids," Rain said. "And we found this necklace for Sarah Jane."

She held up a silver chain that had a glowing pink orb as a pendant.

"She'll love this," the Doctor said nodding.

"What does Jack want though?" Mingxia asked.

"Yeah, do you know what he'd be interested in?" Awinita added.

"Besides shagging?" he said, grinning as they laughed. "Blimey, what would he want? Hmm, what do you get the immortal who has everything? Well, I suppose he might like anything military related since he was in a couple of wars and has had some military training. Hmmm, I have to admit though I'm just as gormless as you lot are. I've never had to buy the man Christmas presents or any sort of present before. I've no clue really but I suppose he'll like whatever you get him as long as it's a male gift."

"Does he wear cologne?" Donna asked.

"He does but I'm not sure what it is," Rose said. "I suppose we can ask though since we're just gathering information on what he likes."

"What about shirts, pants, clothes?" Awinita said. "You don't know his size do you, Doctor?"

"No, I don't. TARDIS might, I expect. Ask her."

"What about you, Dad? What do you want?"

"Um…well, anything is fine, really. I have all of you and that's more than enough so whatever you wanna get me, I'll love it."

"Do you read?" Jenny asked.

"Like a madman," Donna replied as he nodded his head vigorously.

"Read what?" Jenny asked.

"Anything and everything except stuff like romance novels that Awinita seems to favor," he said giving her a pointed look as she blushed. "Other than that, anything scientific or historical, along those lines."

He leaned down into her face.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked her.

Jenny stared at him blankly.

"And please don't say a gun," the Doctor added when she remained silent.

"No, I don't want that."

"Good."

"I'm not sure, Dad. Clothes, books, whatever a young girl would normally want."

"Yeah, but…love, you have to learn what _you_ want, not what's typical for a woman your age. Don't worry, we'll help you sort out your likes and dislikes."

He checked his watch.

"Now, I s'pose I better get back there and collect the other two so if you guys want to finish up here we can go somewhere else since Jack has the component now."

They nodded.

"See you in a mo," he said, walking away.

They watched him for a moment and then turned back to each other.

"Um, so you lot wanna go ahead and find something for Jack or wait?" Rose asked.

They checked their watches and noticed they had ten minutes left.

"Will there be enough time?" Mingxia said.

"Maybe if we hurry. Let's just go down one more aisle and…"

"Too late, guys."

They looked over when the Doctor walked back up to them.

"I just checked. They've already made their purchases and went back to the TARDIS. We better go ahead and go and we can go to another shop to get something for him."

They looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay, we'll take these up front then and pay for them," Rose said.

The Rani, who had shape shifted into the Doctor, let them walk by and with an evil grin followed along behind them.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The Rani glanced around nervously while the women paid for their purchases with their credit sticks. She was scared that any moment the real Doctor might walk up and blow her cover.

"Come on. Blast, why does there have to be so many specimens?" she muttered to herself.

To her relief, they finally got through the queue and had everything paid for. The Rani moved past the people still left in line.

"You didn't get anything, love?" Rain asked her with a smile.

The Rani stared at her.

_Love?_ She thought, her interest peaked again.

"Um…no, there's nothing here I needed," she said in the Doctor's voice. "Now come with me so we can get going."

They nodded and she led them out of the store praying the others wouldn't come out until she could take care of them and get back to her servant.

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Azran stood nearby and watched while the three men quickly scanned the shelves for a last minute check of parts they needed. He was nervous wondering what he should do now. Should he continue to shadow them, attack them, lure them out to their TARDIS, what? He was strong but he was sure he wasn't a match for three young, healthy men, not if they had superior fighting skills. He glanced around but his mistress was nowhere in sight. He figured she might have lured the others away but that meant he was alone and that much more vulnerable. If they figured out what was going on and figured out that he was in on it, they could have him pinned to the ground and at their mercy in no time flat. His mistress was fiercely intelligent so he figured the other two Time Lords were the same. He was just a human, what chance did he have against them? Killing them was useless, especially if the one man was immortal and the other two could just regenerate and get right back up to fight him again.

His heart raced when he heard the Doctor announce he was done and the other two tell him the same. They were getting ready to leave, he couldn't let them. He had to give his mistress time to catch the others. He quickly walked up to them.

"Um…ex..excuse me," he said nervously.

The three of them looked at him.

"Yes?" the Doctor said.

"I'm new here and I really need your help. I'm looking for the grocery section. Could you perhaps take me to it?" he said.

The Doctor pointed over his shoulder.

"There's a large map up near the credit scanners," he said. "You can find what you need there."

He stepped in front of them when they started to move off.

"Yeah, but I'm rubbish at reading maps and I'd really feel more comfortable if you'd just lead me there."

"Look, buddy, we're in a hurry. We have several people waiting on us up front. Find someone else to help you, alright?" Jack said.

They tried to go and he moved in front of them again. He gulped when the Doctor stepped forward and stared at him with his piercing eyes.

"Move!" he said in a tone of voice that told Azran he better do just that.

He moved aside.

"I'm sorry, we'd really like to help but my friend is right. We're pressed for time. It's not hard to find things around here if you just look, now have a good evening," Jack said to him.

Azran panicked when they moved past him. He was reluctant to knock one out since the others would be on him in seconds. He quickly ran up to Alan who was at the back and grabbed his hand. Alan gasped and rounded on him, his eyes aflame.

"Leave me alone!" he said between gritted teeth.

"I need your help!" Azran shot back.

"Too right you're gonna need help if you don't let go of me and leave me alone," Alan snarled. "Because if you don't, I'm gonna call for security!"

The other two walked up beside him and glared at him.

"Let…go!" the Doctor growled.

Azran meekly took his hand away. The Doctor breathed heavily through his nose while he gave him a look that could melt solid steel.

"I'm warning you, back off! We said we couldn't help you and we meant it! Now get the hell out of here before we do alert security! This is your last warning!"

Azran swallowed hard and backed away from the three angry men. They kept their eyes on him until he was out of sight down an aisle and then they looked at each other, shook their heads and headed up to the front.

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"Um, Doctor, where are we goin?'" Rose said as they walked out into the night towards the Rani's TARDIS.

"The other two decided to be a couple of pranksters and moved my TARDIS out here," she said.

They glanced at each other.

"Gee thanks, Alan, now we have to walk all this way because you decided you had to be cute," Rose said dryly while the others giggled.

_Alan? His name isn't the Doctor, interesting,_ the Rani thought.

They saw the TARDIS. The Rani had temporarily overridden the chameleon circuit and made the exterior resemble his idiotic looking police box, so no one suspected anything and chatted cheerfully amongst themselves while they moved towards her trap. The Rani got ahead of them and opened the door. She opened it up and they all filed inside, still talking. They were so busy conversing that no one noticed the interior was different until Awinita let out a gasp and pointed around her. They stopped and looked while the Rani shut the door and locked it behind them.

"Oh, and Alan change the interior too for a giggle?" Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"No, actually, it always looks like this."

They paused when they heard a female's voice behind them. An unfamiliar female voice. They turned and saw the Doctor smirking at them.

"Who was that?" Rain asked.

"Oh, that was me," the Rani said in her normal voice.

They glanced at each other.

"Playing at being Morana again, are you?" Rain teased him.

The Rani wondered at that comment for a couple of seconds and then brushed it aside.

"No, I'm playing at being the Rani," she said.

They glanced at each other.

"You're supposed to be Sarah Jane's teenager friend?" Donna said wryly.

Again, the Rani was puzzled for a moment. They knew another Rani besides her and who was Sarah Jane?

"No, you idiotic Time Ladies and humans, I am the Rani. A fellow Time Lady, geneticist and one of the Doctor's oldest and most dangerous enemies. And you, my naive lab rats, have been captured for experimentation. At this very moment, your minds have been separated from the Doctor and his clone because my TARDIS has a dampener on it and the link between them and you were severed the moment I closed my door. Apparently, you were so busy nattering on about Christmas, you didn't notice. And I'm sure your fellow Time Lords are going bonkers trying to find you right now since I'm sure four missing minds made a bigger impact on them than two did on yours. And you will be reunited with them, I promise you, but for the moment…"

Before they could act against her, the TARDIS threw a force bubble up around them and gassed them with sleeping gas, knocking them out. The Rani smirked and mentally ordered her TARDIS to transport them all into separate holding cells. She watched as a bright light enveloped them all and once they were gone, she turned and went back to deal with the rest.

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Jack stared down at the purple orbs in his hand while he and his friends walked up to the scanners. He was so glad he finally got the missing part and he made sure to get two more just in case it broke again. He hated troubling his friends for a ride to get it but on the other hand, he now gained a whole new family which he was excited about and…

He was jolted from his thoughts when he heard loud gasps coming from the Doctor and Alan. He looked at them with confusion when he noticed they were looking at each other with stricken looks on their faces.

"Guys, what is it?" he said, looking from one to the other.

"Rain! Rose, Awinita, Donna!" the Doctor cried out, running off towards the back of the store.

Jack watched, confused, while Alan called out his family's names and hurried after him.

"What? What is it? Doctor, Alan? What's…"

He grunted when Azran, who had quickly come up behind him, hit him on the back of the head with a large piece of lumber he had gotten from the hardware section. He dropped to the ground and lay there facedown, unconscious. Azran quickly pulled his body into a corner, ran back to grab the wood and took off after the clone.

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Alan frantically raced through the department store calling their names while he looked all over for his missing family. While he did, his mind was reaching out trying to find any sign of them.

"Starlight? Where are you?" he cried out.

Just then, Azran jumped out of an aisle in front of him. He had just enough time to see the wood in his hand before he slammed it against the side of his face.

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The Doctor stopped short, his hearts racing when Alan's mind suddenly cut out leaving nothing in its place but the all too familiar emptiness he once knew and feared. Terror gripped at him while he turned and ran back the way he came, searching for his now missing brother and family. He raced past a couple of confused shoppers but took no notice of them when he looked around and suddenly realized that Jack was missing too. Rage replaced the fear and shock and he vowed if anyone had harmed the ones he loved, they would pay and pay dearly.

He saw a security guard patrolling an aisle several feet away from him and he angled his run so he sped right into it.

"Whoa! Wait! Slow down, buddy!" the guard said when he nearly barreled into him.

"Help me, my family and friends have been hurt or kidnapped!" he said frantically.

The guard saw the anguish in his eyes and knew it was no joke. He quickly put in a call on his communicator.

"Shen, we have a man here who says his family and friends are missing, have everyone check the entire store and the grounds for them."

He looked at the Doctor.

"What do they look like?"

The Doctor gave him brief descriptions of each person and the guard relayed it to Shen. He beckoned to him.

"Come into the office and wait. If they're here, we'll find them. We'll summon the police in the meantime."

"Thank you."

The Doctor looked all around him while he followed the guard to the office.

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Meanwhile, the Rani had moved her TARDIS up to the front entrance and disguised it as a hover car. She went inside, found her servant and after learning what he had done, went to security at the front and lured them away while she pretended her handbag was lost. Azran quickly and stealthily pulled Jack and Alan towards the front, making sure that there was no one around and everyone was away from the scanners when he finally got them out the door and into the TARDIS. Once they were inside, the TARDIS surrounded them in separate force bubbles in the console room until her mistress could tell her what to do with them and Azran ran back into the store.

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The Rani finally told the guards she had forgotten her handbag was in her car and when they went away, she used the scanner to find her prey. She found him sitting in an office at the back of the department store. He had a lost look on his face and she smirked, figuring he was trying repeatedly to make contact with his loved ones through their link.

_Don't worry, my old friend, you'll see them again soon enough,_ she thought to herself.

The smirk widened when she reached out briefly to his mind and felt the terror and worry and confusion there. She listened a moment to his thoughts relishing how anguished she had made him.

_Rain? Rain, my love, where are you?_ She heard him thinking mournfully. _Please answer me, Latara, if you can._

She thought back to the pretty brown skinned girl. The one that had referred to him as "love." She had noticed a ring upon her finger and saw an identical one on his. She had made a study of Earthlings and Earth customs some time ago and knew that Earth mates wore similar rings when they went through Earth marriage.

_Is that it, Theta, is she your wife?_ She thought._ Imagine that. My old academy classmate got married again after he swore he wouldn't. And to a human child? She must be from Earth if they went through the Earth custom of exchanging the rings and words. But the child had a Time Lady's consciousness and body. How did that happen? The chameleon arch would have killed her. I must ask the poor fool when I finally reveal myself to him. _

She noticed a couple of guards nearby filling each other in on what they had found which to her delight was absolutely nothing. She listened to the Doctor call once more for Rain and then she got an idea.

_Alright, Time Lord, you wish to be reunited with your lives mate again? I will oblige you, _she thought.

She shape shifted into one of the guards and walked into the office.

"Did you find them? "the Doctor asked.

"Yes, we found one of them. A girl with long, black hair and brown skin. She's unconscious. Is that one of them?"

"Yes, it's either my wife or my sister, please take me to her," he said, leaping up.

_Sister?_ the Rani thought. _This is getting more interesting by the moment._

"Very well, sir. Follow me," she said, walking with him to the door.

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Rose sat on the floor of the Perspex cell. Around her, the other women were sitting in other cells, one to each. Rain was on her right side and Donna was on her left. Jenny was on Rain's right side and Mingxia and Awinita were across a wide aisle in two more cells. Around them were empty cells except for the two at the very end. One was occupied by a brown skinned alien with black markings all over her thin body and the other was a humanoid female with a large nose, long lavender hair and snow white skin. They were in cells across from each other and were asleep or unconscious.

Mingxia looked at Rose.

"Any sign of the Doctor or Alan?" she asked.

She shook her head.

"No, I can't feel them. I can only feel us."

"The Rani. Bro mentioned her before. She's evil like the Master is," Awinita said.

Rose nodded.

"Yes, she does unethical experiments on people and animals and I have a feeling lab rats isn't just a cute little nickname for all of us. Oh God, I hope the boys are alright. I…"

He eyes widened when she suddenly felt Alan's mind slowly coming back inside hers.

_Love?_ She thought frantically. _Alan, love, it's Rose. Where are you?_

_Rose? Starlight? Is that you?_

_Yes, where are you?_

_I'm…wait a tic, waking up, got hit in the head…oh God, I got a headache. I'm…in a TARDIS?_

The women gasped and Rose's hearts sank.

_Love, listen to me, it's the Rani. She's taken us. We're all alright but we're in cells somewhere on the ship. Can you find us?_

_The Rani? Oh God, no, not her. First the Master, then the Valeyard and now…listen, I'm coming to get you. Don't worry, I'll save…Damn!_

Rose swallowed hard.

_What is it?_

_I'm in a force bubble in the console room. She has me and Jack. He's beside me but he's still unconscious. I can't get out, love. I'm trapped too._

Rose's eyes closed in anguish.

_My husband, is he there? _Rain thought to him.

_No, he's not here. At least, I don't see him in here if he's inside the TARDIS. _

Rain breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the others.

"That means he could still be outside looking for us,"she said to them.

The women gasped when there were two flashes of light and Alan and Jack appeared in the cells next to Awinita and Mingxia.

"Rose! Guys!"Alan cried out, putting his hands on the front of the cell. "Oh God, are you all alright?"

They nodded and he breathed a sigh of relief, both for the fact that they were safe and the fact that, except for the Doctor, he could sense them all again.

Rose's face paled when she saw the stream of dried blood down the side of his face. She glanced at Jack who was just now beginning to wake up.

"Oh God, anyone get the number of the train that hit me?" Jack groaned putting a hand to the back of his head.

Just then, Rain let out a gasp and cried out her husband's name at the same time everyone felt the Doctor's mind wink back into their consciousness. Alan groaned and shook his head.

"No, no, don't say my brother's been caught as well," he said.

Tears came to Rain's eyes when she felt her husband stroking her mind along with whispered words of love and comfort that sounded to her like the voice of an angel after their separation. She shut her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks, and with a mixture of anguish and relief, sent her love back to him along with a plea to run and hide and forget about her before it was too late.

Then, to her utter horror and despair, his mind winked out again leaving her to worry about what had happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"My hover car's out here," the Rani said as she led the Doctor out the door. "I'll take you to the one we found."

"Just hurry please," the Doctor pleaded.

The Rani smirked at that. She sent a mental command to her TARDIS telling her to put the other two captives in separate cells before the Doctor went inside. She stopped short before she opened the fake door.

"We did manage to get some more information," she said tapping the earpiece of her fake communicator. "The woman's name is Rain. Who is that?"

"My wife," the Doctor said. "How is she? Is she alright?"

"Yes, she's unharmed. She was knocked out but that's it."

The Doctor closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that at least one member of his family had been found. He swore if anyone else had been hurt or kill…

He shook that thought from his head.

_No, they're not dead, just unconscious,_ he thought._ I will find them all alive and safe. I have to._

"Okay, get inside the car and I'll take you to her."

She opened the door; the Doctor climbed in and stumbled forward when he realized the car was huge on the inside. He saw the interior at the same time the minds of his beloved family came back into his consciousness. He felt all their worry and relief and anguish and fear but none more so than his wife who was nearly half insane trying to reconnect with him again. Unconsciously, his mind automatically reached out to hers and stroked it, trying to calm and soothe her with his actions and his words of love so she would be unafraid and calm, both for her sake and his since she and his family were now going bonkers trying to reconnect with him and it was impeding his thinking. He spun around and looked at the woman who was by the closed door chuckling to herself.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" he demanded, trying to sense her mind and figure out her identity.

He heard it from his frantic brother.

_Rani! My brother, it's the Rani,_ he was thinking to him. _Run!_

_My love, get out! Leave me here, leave us all. We'll be alright, just get yourself to safety, please,_ Rain pleaded with him.

"Rani!" the Doctor snarled at her.

"Very good, Doctor. And now that you know who I am, it's time to go to sleep."

Before he could stop her, she whipped out her sleeping gas gun from her pocket and shot him in the face. The Doctor's eyes rolled up in his head and the last thing he heard before the darkness took him completely was the Rani's triumphant laugh.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The Doctor felt their minds again as soon as he woke up. The frantic, worried minds of the others who kept reaching out to connect with their missing family member. He raised his groggy head and noticed he was strapped down to a lab table in a laboratory. He was still fully dressed and as far as he could see, there were no sinister IVs, tubes, needles or odds and ends sticking in him or out of him. He laid his head back on the hard metal surface and sent his thoughts out to everyone reassuring them he was alright and sending them as much loving feelings as he was getting. He mentally stroked and caressed his wife's mind finally calming her down until she was at least quiet, if not totally at peace. Once all the frantic voices had been reduced to a dull worry, he asked them what had happened to Jenny, Jack and Mingxia. He was relieved when he heard they were alright although he hated that both Jack and Alan suffered head wounds. His fury flared up briefly when his brother informed him that the man who had bothered them had been the one to knock him out. He vowed he would wring his neck when he got his hands on him.

He listened to them speaking to him telling him what had happened and what was going on now. For the moment, the Rani was allowing this one small mercy of communication with them although he suspected it was really meant to be more a torment than a mercy since he was unable to get to them or work out where they were at in the TARDIS. He could sense the Rani's TARDIS mocking him, poking his mind maliciously and laughing at his helplessness. He reached out, trying to locate her mistress but he still couldn't sense her mind, leading him to conclude she must be wearing a dampener and the TARDIS must have shielding on it similar to the Valeyard's TARDIS. He cursed. Why did all the evil Time Lords and Lady somehow managed to survive the Time War when everyone else perished? One thing he couldn't deny, he had rotten luck.

He smiled when he felt a radiating wave of love from Rain. He sent the same back to her and listened to her tell her that she loved him. He was glad she was calm now along with the rest of them. He couldn't bear any of their anguish just like he was sure they couldn't bear his. He cursed silently wishing he could feel everyone. He hated not feeling his friends and his daughter and knew that something could happen to them and he wouldn't know it. He kept up the steady stream of chatter, trying to crack jokes and cheer them up in case the Rani cut off communication with them suddenly. He could feel them calming down even more and with that, he was able to look around and assess his surroundings trying to figure out his next step.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile in the cells, the tension had eased. Knowing that the Doctor was safe for the moment allowed them to calm down and think. Rain looked around her cell. It was completely solid; there were no visible doors, locks, seams, anything that might suggest a way out. She looked over at Jenny beside her and saw her get to her feet and walk around in a circle looking at everything and she figured she was doing the same assessment she was doing. She had a thought, reached into her jean pocket and her eyes widened when she noticed her sonic screwdriver was still in her pocket. She pulled it out and aimed it at the front wall. Everyone glanced at each other and searched for theirs. Finding them, they tried the same thing but nothing happened and they all cursed and grumbled while they shoved them deep in their pockets in case the Rani thought to look for them.

"Wherever the door is, it must be deadlocked sealed," Alan said. "Blast!"

Jenny shook her head.

"I have no clue how to get out of this. There are no locks to pick, everything is airtight, the floors made of metal. There's nothing in the programming they gave me to tell me how to escape this."

"There's gotta be some way," Jack said, leaning against the back wall. "We transmatted in here, we can transmat back out and I'm pretty sure that's not the only way out since she'd need a way to open up the cells without moving us all over the TARDIS."

"I'm about ready to rip this TARDIS apart," Alan said.

"Why?" Jack said.

"Because she's taunting me in my mind, laughing at our efforts to get out."

All the other Time Ladies nodded in agreement.

Rain thought for a moment and then reached out to her husband.

_Thete?_ She thought.

_Yes, love?_

She told him what they'd been doing and described the cells to him.

_Are they like the holding cells on your TARDIS?_

_Yes._

_How do you get people in and out of them?_

_The TARDIS dissolves the front, allows me to put the captives inside and then makes the wall solid again._

They all groaned.

_So we have to have the TARDIS on our side to get out, _Rain thought grimly.

_Yes and I can assure you she's not._

_I know, she's mocking us too. Is there another way? A button you can push, words you can say?_

_No love, not if it's like mine. The TARDIS is the one who can open up the front of the cells or transmat people in and out. It's for security purposes so no intruder can get in and override it._

Rain leaned her head back against the back of the cell and put her hand over her eyes while she shook her head. She took her hand away and it slumped to her side while she stared up at the ceiling.

_What about you, Brother?_ Alan said. _Where are you? Are you in a holding cell?_

_No, I'm tied down to a lab table._

Their blood ran cold at that.

_We still have our sonic screwdrivers, Thete, she didn't search us_, Rain thought to him.

_She might have done that on purpose knowing you couldn't get out but if you used them, chances are she knows about them now since the TARDIS would have told her. Rani is no fool and she rarely makes mistakes. Trust me, everything is calculated, even our supposed freedom to communicate with one another. Mark my words, Latara, this is all leading to something sinister and unpleasant. I'm hoping I get the brunt of it but I hold no illusions that you're all in danger especially since she'll be very interested in my clone brother._

Alan rolled his eyes.

_Wonderful, _he thought.

_She'll probably also wanna know where all of you came from and how you came to be Time Ladies. Trust me, my family; you are here for a purpose just as much as I am. If she had no need of you, she wouldn't have gone to the trouble of nabbing you along with me._

"Is the Doc alright?" Jack asked Alan.

He nodded.

"He's strapped to a table in her laboratory but he's unharmed for now. We're talking to him now, relaying information back and forth.

"Who is this Rani? I'm suspecting it's not the Rani I know who's 14 years old and sweet," he said.

"God, I wish it was. The Rani is another of the Doctor's old enemies from Gallifrey. Used to be at the academy with him along with the Master. Just as nutty as he is. She fancies herself a great scientist, the greatest scientist who ever lived. She conducts evil, unethical experiments that should have gotten her a one way ticket to Shada a long time ago but somehow she always managed to talk, bribe or outwit her way out of going. She's a sociopath. She cares only for herself and what she can get out of life. We're nothing but guinea pigs to her which is why we're here. The Doctor figures we're here because I'm a clone and they've become Time Ladies out of the blue after being human and I concur with that. I'm sure you're here because of your immortality. She never takes or uses people unless they're of value to her in some way and we are very much a scientific curiosity which makes us extremely valuable. That being said, she will conduct experiments on us and use us as she sees fit no matter how painful or uncomfortable or degrading they may be. She doesn't care. We are specimens to her, nothing more."

"Wonderful," Jack said, "just wonderful. So why let you guys communicate with each other?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's listening in. in fact, I know she is because the TARDIS can hear us. And this is a way to torment us knowing that we're powerless to escape and the Doctor is powerless to free us. I'm sure she's off somewhere laughing before she starts up whatever she has planned. And I'm sure her little helper's around too. The man who tried to stop us. He's the one that smacked me in the face with the piece of wood so I'm guessing you got the same treatment from behind."

Jack gently touched the back of his head and winced.

"Yeah, well Mister Grocery Section better stay the hell away from me or I'll shove the plank of wood up his ass and nail the other end to the Rani's head."

Jack glanced at the two unresponsive captives.

"I wonder who they are and what they have to do with this?"

"I'm sure they have some sort of scientific value to her. Probably nothing to do with us, just a couple of unlucky souls she set her sights on for some reason or another," Alan said.

Jack though for a moment, reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile.

"Still have this. Although it'll be a little hard for the team to come get us if I put in a call to them," he said.

He thought and looked at Alan.

"Know any numbers of anyone who could come and get us?"

"Um…not offhand, no, and I'm sure the Rani won't lend you a phonebook either."

"Damn," Jack said, putting the mobile back in his pocket.

Alan suddenly felt Rain's mind blink out. He panicked for a second then noticed her eyes were closed but she looked alright to him. He then felt the Doctor's mind blink out and he figured the two of them were holding a private conversation and he relaxed and glanced around. He noticed Rose was staring at him and he threw up a barrier around her mind.

_My love, don't worry, we'll escape somehow,_ he thought to her.

_I know. We've been in tighter spots than this before. Something will happen that will give us an opportunity for escape, I know it._

_If the Rani comes, I will give myself to her. I'm probably more of an interest to her than you are since I'm the Doctor's clone._

_No, Alan, I want to face this with you. _

_Rose, I can't let that happen. I can't let you be hurt and she will hurt you. She'll conduct a vivisection on you while you're fully awake and conscious if she figures that's what's needed. I love you too much to let something like that happen._

_Alan, I'm scared._

_I know, my love, I am too but we'll be alright, just trust in that._

Rose nodded and she lowered the barrier along with Alan. He noticed that the barrier between Rain and the Doctor was still up and he could see tear stains down her cheeks. It burned him up inside to see his sister so upset at her husband being caught and he longed to snap the Rani's worthless neck. He could see the others glancing at her occasionally and he could also sense their anger when they saw the state she was in, plus a hint of worry which he figured was because the Doctor had blocked them for the moment. He figured they were also checking Rain's reaction to see if she began to panic in case the privacy block turned into him being knocked out. So far, she was relatively calm, just the occasional tear drop. The others talked quietly both verbally and mentally trying to keep themselves calm.

Then suddenly they heard her gasp and let out a, "No!" Everyone was up on their knees wondering what happened. Rain opened her eyes, sighed and gave them a look of resignation.

"The Rani's in there with him so… he just closed off his mind to protect us and…in case he tortures him, so we won't feel it," she said in a hollow voice.

Everyone's hearts ached and they sat back against the walls of their cells at a loss as to what to do next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor lifted his head when the Rani came into the room.

"Hello again, Theta," she said.

She paused when he gritted his teeth.

"Something wrong?"

"I hate that nickname and you know it," he said.

The Rani rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I know. It reminds you of the past you'd just as soon forget. Forgive me for calling you that and reminding you of our time at the academy. I won't ever do it again, DOCTOR."

She rolled her eyes.

"You ask me that's a more idiotic moniker than Theta. Who in the world calls themselves Doctor? You always were a little odd, my classmate, and this whole secret identity of yours is one glaring example of that."

She walked over to him.

"Still, nice to know you're no longer the tiny little gnome with the question mark fetish. You've actually become quite handsome this time around, albeit a bit on the skinny side, perhaps this Rain should feed you better, eh?"

"Leave her alone, leave them all alone!"

The Rani brushed her hand against his cheek.

"Who is this Rain? She's very beautiful. Where did you find her? In another dimension? Because it seems strange that suddenly there are more Time Ladies when there were none before. But that's not it, is it? She was human, wasn't she? You both have the Earth rings on your fingers and no Gallifreyan would do that kind of ceremony, not without one of them being from Earth. In fact, they're all human or were, right? How did they become like us then when the chameleon arch would have killed them outright? That's the only thing I can think of that could have had the power to change them. So what happened?"

The Doctor remained tightlipped. The Rani sighed.

"Not this again. Shall I resort to torturing your lives mate to unlock your lips?"

"Leave her alone!"

"Then tell me, little Theta, how did she become like us? How did a backwards, socially retarded ape become a regal and dignified Time Lady?"

She smirked when his eyes narrowed at that and he gritted his teeth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, used the hated nickname again, didn't I? And, please forgive me, I didn't mean to call the barely conscious former pond scum a socially retarded ape, where are my manners concerning your precious Earth wife? Okay, try another tactic then. Why did you marry her after you supposedly swore off marriage for good? What's so special about her that you broke your lives long vow of celibacy? What's the attraction?"

The Doctor glared at her silently. The Rani's shoulder dropped and she sighed as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way then. TARDIS, bring the one called Rain to me!"

"NO!"

There was a flash of light and Rain appeared at his side. She let out a cry and wrapped her arms around his neck while the Doctor quickly sent a message to the other frantic members of the family letting them know where she was. He sent a wave of love into his wife's mind when she lowered her head to his.

"Now, where were we?" the Rani said. "Ah yes, you are Rain, I take it? Tell me, Rain, since your lives mate has remained silent, how did an Earth girl like you become a Time Lady like me?"

Rain glanced at her and gave her husband a questioning glance, unsure if she should answer or not.

"_Might as well, my love,_ he thought to her_. She'll keep on asking this until you do answer and I'm sure that'll include torture to get you to talk. _

Rain straightened up and told her about Imiko while she stroked her husband's cheek. The Doctor looked at the Rani, gauging her reaction to what she was saying. She was standing there at the end of the lab table with an incredulous look on her face but whether that was because she thought Rain was lying or she just couldn't believe a fox spirit had turned her into a Time Lady, he couldn't tell since the dampener was still blocking her mind from his mental probing. Thankfully, she let Rain finish the entire explanation without flying off the handle and hurting her. When she finished, there was a heavy silence that hung in the air and for one hearts stopping moment, the Doctor thought she was going to call her a liar and begin to torture her. But instead she paced back and forth in front of the lab table while the Doctor and Rain watched her uneasily.

"Okay, so this…Imiko…is she the one that changed all the others?" she finally said.

"Yes," Rain said.

"Why? Why would she do that for you?"

"Because we were kind to her and that was our reward for being her friend."

The Rani raised her eyebrow.

"You mean all you had to do to become a Time Lady was make friends with a fox spirit?" she said in disbelief.

"It was more than that. She helped us defeat the Valeyard and in return for treating her with respect, she rewarded us by making us Time Ladies so the Doctor wouldn't be alone."

The Rani stared at him.

"You like being alone," she said to him.

"Not anymore."

"Since when?"

"Since the Time War!"

"You hated Gallifrey! You wanted nothing to do with it! Why do you care if it burned, Theta? You spent all your time on your beloved Earth which is why I suppose you lost your mind and finally married one of them! You've been a loner ever since I've known you!"

"Well, I decided that being a loner wasn't working out for me. It's done nothing but gotten me into trouble."

The Rani snorted.

"No, Theta, your need to interfere in time and space got you into trouble, not your lonely little hearts," she said.

"For the last time, quit calling me that!" he snarled.

She threw up her hands.

"Fine, sorry, I'll call you Doctor then. Okay, next question, Doctor or Rain or whoever wants to answer this, explain this clone of yours!"

"He's a clone," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, that's been established, where'd he come from?"

The Doctor gave him a patronizing look.

"Now where do you think he came from, Rani?"

Rani glared at him and stomped forward.

"Don't get smart with me, Time Lord, or I'll make your lives mate scream for your insolence," she said, pointing at her.

"You do and I'll make you scream for the rest of your lives and beyond!" the Doctor shot back.

"This clone's name is Alan?"

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"Where in the name of Rassilon did it come up with Alan?"

"First off, he's not an "it", secondly, you'd never understand the explanation even if I did tell it to you. And now, dear Rani, I have a couple of questions for you. Where did you go and why didn't you fight in the Time War?"

"You know why."

The Doctor snorted.

"No scientific value in fighting?"

"Precisely. Fighting in a war is a barbaric pastime."

"Well, for once, I'm actually amazed to say I agree with you on something."

"As for where I went, I went into the future and left you and Koschei to fight the stupid war. And naturally greedy little Koschei went and got himself killed in it."

"No, he didn't."

The Rani blinked.

"He didn't? Where'd he go then because I stopped feeling his mind..."

"He made himself human and hid in the year 100 trillion on a planet called Malcasairo."

"How do you know?"

"Because I stumbled onto him accidentally."

The Rani frowned.

"What were you doing in the year 100 trillion?"

The Doctor sighed.

"It really doesn't matter, Rani, the point is I found him there."

"So, he's alive."

"No, he's dead now."

"Okay, how?"

The Doctor smirked.

"Well see, he went and fell in love with a human and his wife ended up shooting him just when I was gonna imprison him in my TARDIS."

The Rani's mouth dropped open.

"HE MARRIED A HUMAN TOO? OMEGA'S ORIFICE, DID THE TIME WAR DRIVE YOU BOTH INSANE?" she screamed. "Were you that desperate for affection that you had to go and marry apes? By the great constellation, am I the only one left out of our original group that has any common sense? You both went completely off your trolley while I was gone!"

"I wouldn't talk, Rani, you left your sanity in the dust long before we did."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means your heinous little experiments that violate all known ethical and moral laws of the universe. The experiments you claim benefit everyone when all they do is satisfy your own perverted curiosity. The experiments I've had to waste valuable time and resources stopping before they spiraled out of control and destroyed everything! If the Master and I are insane, Rani, then so are you! Now I've satisfied your curiosity so I'm giving you one chance to free me and the others and turn tail and get your worthless egotistical arse out of my face and out of this universe before I get free and make your regret capturing us!"

"There it is!" the Rani said, pointing at him. "The old sanctimonious, egotistical Time Lord I know! The one who thinks he's the god of the universe and everyone has to tremble before him and get out of the way or die at his hands. Did you ever let your ape lover see this side of you, Theta? The side that thinks it's god's gift to the universe and no one has any right to question your word because it's law? This, Rain, is what your husband truly is, a manically egotistical bastard who thinks he knows it all and knows what's good for everyone, including you, I suspect. Is this who you gave your human heart to or did you do what everyone else did and fall in love with a false image that he projects to hide what he really is?"

The Doctor quickly threw up a barrier around her mind.

_Don't listen, my beloved, don't listen to her insane ranting. I love you more than life itself. I've showed you my true self, my heaven. Don't believe her for one second! I would never force you to worship me. I told you that when I first professed my love to you. I'm not a god and never will be. Don't listen._

_I won't, my Thete, I know you, you aren't like that. I'll never believe it._

"What are you saying to her?" the Rani said. "You threw up a mental block. Are you telling her it's not true what I said? Are you deluding her even more with her lies? This poor creature. I actually pity her now. She's young and naïve and I'm sure she's fallen in love with your legend, hasn't she?"

"No! I've fallen in love with him!" Rain said.

The Rani rolled her eyes.

"And who is he? You don't know anything about him. You don't even know his true name, do you?"

Both of them kept their faces passive.

"You don't know what he's done. Why he left Gallifrey. And he was forced to leave it. Your lover stole his TARDIS from a dry dock and scarpered off for the big, wide universe. Did he ever tell you any of that or why he did take it?"

"And why did I, Rani?" the Doctor said. "Please tell me exactly why I did and enlighten us both with your all-encompassing knowledge that you seem to have about me and the day I decided to leave the planet. Tell me, when no one was around to see me take the TARDIS, just why I took it? Tell my wife exactly what went through my mind that day!"

He smirked when the Rani fell silent and threw the barrier back up.

_See, my hearts, she doesn't know. She's doing this because she thinks I'll talk and tell her exactly what she wants to know. There's a good reason I took my TARDIS but it's not because I was a criminal. I'm not a criminal, my love, believe me. I would never lie to you, never._

"Now what are you telling her?"

"None of your business."

Rain gasped and screamed when she pushed a button underneath the lab table and electric shocks coursed through his body. Rain tried to hold him but she suddenly was repulsed by a force field that kept her next to the table but unable to touch her husband. She watched in silent anguish while he suffered in front of her.

"STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she screamed.

The Rani turned off the current and the Doctor gasped and sucked air into his lungs while Rain sent love into his mind. Suddenly, Rain could reach for him again and she wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed his forehead while the Rani rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Now, unless you want a repeat or want your lives mate to be next, you will answer all my questions and answer them without resorting to the flippant, arrogant, high and mighty tone you like to use," she said.

"Let them all go and I'll do anything you ask," he panted. "They're not worth anything to you; I'm the one you want."

"Theta, if they weren't worth anything to me, I wouldn't have bothered with them in the first place."

"Just let them go. Let them go back to the TARDIS unharmed. I'll stay behind."

Rani rolled her eyes.

"Here we go, we've progressed to the martyr stage now," she said. "Please spare me the sanctimonious rubbish, will you? This is more of your, I'm a god so I must suffer for all complex. I'm not impressed, alright? I took you all for a reason and I intend to stay with my original plan which means you are wasting your breath begging for mercy for your so-called family. I want to study your human/Time Ladies thoroughly and the clone as well and this immortal one, I want to find out about him also. How did he become immortal and are you so sure he is? I mean, have you tried all possible ways to kill him?"

The Doctor's hearts nearly stopped and his throat went dry. He realized that there was no hope for his loved ones, no bargaining for their lives. His precious family would suffer at his side; scream with him until they went insane or died or both. He sensed Rain trying to be brave but he could feel the undercurrent of fear in her mind and he felt utterly useless lying on the table, powerless to protect her from another one of his deadliest enemies. An enemy who only saw her as something to be cut open and poked and prodded and examined in the name of science. His poor innocent Rain who had no choice but to watch him be tormented and be tormented in return. He looked up at her standing above him, stroking his cheek with unshed tears in her eyes that held only love and complete trust and his hearts thudded against his ribcage. He sensed the Rani was about to send her back to her cell so he threw up another barrier.

_My Rain, whatever happens, I will always love you from this moment until the stars burn out,_ he thought. _I beg your forgiveness, my beloved wife, for not being able to protect you. I'm so sorry for failing you when you needed me the most. Please don't hate me for this._

Rain shook her head and kissed his forehead.

_I don't hate you, Thete. I will never hate or blame you for this. I am proud to be your wife and if I must die at your side, then so be it. I'm not afraid. I know we'll be together again in this life or the next. I love you more than my own life and that will never change._

The Doctor gazed on her lovingly. Then there was a flash and her beautiful face vanished from view. The Doctor had just enough time to check with Alan and confirm she had returned to her cell before the Rani cut off all contact with them and the gaping hole in his mind returned. Knowing she was safe for the moment along with his family gave him a small measure of comfort and he steeled himself for the ordeal that he knew was about to come next.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Alan was hearts sick. Ever since his sister had been returned to them she had been extremely quiet, ignoring all attempts by her family to find out what had happened. Alan knew they had been together since he had talked briefly with the Doctor after she returned, just before his mind blinked out in his. Whatever went on she wasn't saying but Alan knew the look in her eyes all too well. It was the look of resignation to her fate, the same look his brother got when everything looked hopeless and there seemed to be no way out. Whatever had happened, it caused her to think there was no escape for them and that burned him up inside, filling him with unbridled rage at the Rani for doing this to them. He longed to take her to the nearest supernova, throw her in and watch while she burned away to nothingness. He knew it was counterproductive to think that way but he didn't care. His brother might be uneasy with such thoughts but he wasn't as kind hearted towards his enemies as he was, not when his beloved family was being threatened with mutilation and death. He didn't care about himself but threaten his brother and sister and his hackles were immediately raised and God help the one standing in the way of him and them.

After five more minutes of silence, he could no longer bear it and he shielded her mind so he could speak to her in private.

_Te'lesu, tell me what happened,_ he thought. _Tell your brother what she did that's caused you to despair like this. I've shielded your mind so you can tell me in private. Please don't do this, don't do what your husband used to do and cut yourself off from the ones who love and care for you so you can suffer in silence. Talk to me._

_He's going to die, Bro. she'll kill him and then kill all of us afterwards._

_He's not dead yet._

_How do you know?_

_Because I do. I know him, Te'lesu, he's not licked yet. He won't give up without a fight, not while our lives are at stake. He'll escape this. He's escaped tighter fixes. Trust in him. You'll see him again in the land of the living, I promise. But for now, you have to keep your hope alive. We're all here and we love you. We haven't exhausted all our options yet. When that happens then we can prepare for the inevitable but until then, we need to fight for him as well as for us. _

_I'm sorry, Bro. You're right. I shouldn't do this, shouldn't just give up. The Doctor would be ashamed of me._

_You? No way, Sis. He's so proud of you, he's ready to pop! He's done exactly the same thing before, trust me, so don't think that just because you've had a moment of despair that you're weak and not worthy to be with him. It's alright, just as long as you realize that there are still some possible escape scenarios we haven't explored yet. Once we've tried them then we can say our goodbyes to each other, alright?_

She nodded.

_Good. _

He grinned and quickly pulled Rose and Awinita into their conversation.

_Now, you keep your hope alive because we have to get to Sarah Jane's for Christmas so I can do the Christmas Rhumba for everyone._

She frowned in confusion when Rose and Awinita burst into laughter.

"The what?"Rain said as the two women laughed harder. "The Christmas Rhumba, what the hell's that?"

Everyone gave her an odd look and stared at Rose and Awinita who were giggling hysterically.

"Oh God," Awinita said. "I forgot all about that dippy dance you did."

Rose quickly explained to everyone what he was talking about. He sniggered when everyone gave him an odd look.

"Okay, we have to get outta here because now I wanna see this Christmas Rhumba rubbish for myself," Donna said.

They were thrilled when they heard Rain laughing softly and all of them sent loving feelings into her mind, happy that she had cheered up somewhat. Alan grinned at that since that was exactly why he had mentioned it. He knew everyone had to keep everyone else's hope alive so they could seize the opportunity to escape when it came. He himself started to think of any possible solutions while everyone talked quietly amongst themselves.

Rain was talking to her daughter while they mulled over what to do. Even though she hated that she had been programmed with all these warlike notions, for the moment it was coming in handy while they tried to come up with a solution to get out and get back to the Doctor. They looked around the base of their cells trying to find any little crack; cranny or crevice but there was none. Jenny let out a frustrated sigh.

"Mum, what are we gonna do? I've never heard of a cell being this airtight. Do we even have enough air in here? What if we run out and suffocate?"

Rain shook her head.

"I don't think we have to worry about that, sweetheart, the Rani wants us alive. She'll keep us breathing for as long as she needs us."

Jenny stood up and stood on her tiptoes trying to see the top of the cell. She shook her head and slumped to the floor.

"I don't see any openings up there either," she said.

Rain heard the TARDIS laughing at that. She frowned wondering why this TARDIS was allowing this to happen. She was used to the loving TARDIS that they called home. The one that would never allow them to be imprisoned and possibly tortured and killed. The TARDIS gave her just as much love as her family did and she was also used to her being a constant calming presence in her mind along with the others. The fact that this alien TARDIS was superseding their own was disturbing especially since it seemed to be just as malicious as her mistress. But she knew that Alan was right, they had to try all possibly avenues before giving up and giving in. she reached her hand up and began to stroke the metal wall the way she often stroked the other TARDIS now.

_TARDIS,_ she thought to her_, why are you doing this to us? Why are you being so cruel? Can't you see this is wrong? _

The others heard her and began to do the same thing while Jack, Jenny and Mingxia watched. Out of the three non Time Lords only Jenny was clueless about what was happening and she asked Jack about it.

"The TARDIS is a living thing, Jen," he said. "It can feel and think and sense things just like a living person. They're talking to her and trying to convince her to set us free."

Jenny thought that over for a moment. In the short time she had been aboard the other TARDIS she had noticed her dad talking to what she thought was thin air and occasionally rubbing and patting the walls of the ship. She knew her dad liked his ship but she had no idea it was actually alive and could feel and hear what he was doing. She glanced at Jack and Mingxia who were also following the others' lead and entreating the TARDIS to let them and the Doctor go. She pushed aside the initial feeling that she looked like an idiot talking to a machine and rubbed the wall behind her.

"TARDIS, please help us," she said. "Please, my dad is being held prisoner. The Rani's gonna hurt him, please don't let that happen."

Her head jerked when she felt an intense unpleasant buzzing in her mind. She looked over at Rain who was staring at her sadly.

"Mum, what was that? There was a weird buzzing in my head just then."

"That was the TARDIS, sweetheart. She's laughing at us. Your mind isn't as in tune as ours is so you just get a buzzing but I can hear her laughing and mocking us. It's no use, she won't help us."

"But why? Dad's TARDIS isn't like this."

"I know, sweetheart, and the Valeyard's TARDIS wasn't either even though he had enslaved it and tried to make it evil. After dealing with those two I figured all TARDISes were inherently good. I guess I was wrong. We need to look elsewhere and…"

Rose let out a yell and she jerked her head around. She gasped when they saw that Jack and Alan's cells were now empty.

"Alan! Jack! Oh God, no!" Rose yelled when Alan's mind blinked out in theirs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alan and Jack were in shock. They'd been listening to Rain talking to Jenny and the next thing they knew a bright light surrounded them and they were in the lab staring at the Doctor who was tied down to the table with an anguished look on his face.

_Brother, are you alright?_ Alan thought to him.

He nodded. He tried to come forward and felt a force field in front of him. Just then gas sprang up from the floor and the last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the Doctor calling his and Jack's names.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alan groaned when he slowly came to.

_Brother! Are you alright?_ The Doctor thought to him.

_I feel like a Lorry is resting on my head but other than that, I'm just peachy keen right now, Doctor,_ he thought back.

_Don't bother moving. You and Jack are tied down to tables beside me and she has an IV with a sedative solution going into your arm now._

_Like I said, peachy. Jack alright?_ Alan thought, keeping his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to look at the bright light above him.

_As far as I can tell, he also has an IV drip. _

_And you?_

_I'll live. She's questioned me a bit and roughed me up when I wasn't entirely forthcoming._

_Questioned you on what?_

_All of you, Jack's immortality. Rain's background. She's fascinated with her and I fear it's bordering on obsession now since she's intrigued I married her and she became a Time Lady._

_She better keep her damn hands off her if she knows what's good for her! She better keep her hands off everyone!_

_The others, are they alright?_

_Yes, we tried getting the TARDIS on our side but that whole notion went over like a lead balloon. We were trying something else when Jack and I were whisked up here to you._

_Yes, I think she's ready for you both, my Brother, I'm so sorry._

_Don't be, Te'lesau, better me than Rose or the rest of them and I'm sure Jack feels the same way._

He finally tried opening his eyes a little. He closed them back and winced at the bright light overhead that was just a blur thanks to the sedatives.

_At least she's drugging us for our torture._

_I'm warning you, Alan. Be prepared. The moment she sees the wedding ring on your finger, she's gonna ask you who the other ring belongs to. _

_If she harms Rose in any way, shape or form…_

He heard a door open and close.

_Here she is, be ready for anything, my Brother, _the Doctor thought.

"Hello there," he heard the Rani say, "you are Alan?"

"Yes."

"What's the matter? Why won't you open your eyes?"

"Maybe because I'm drugged up and the bright light above me is hurting my eyes," he slurred.

There was a pause and Alan could see the lights dimming behind his eyelids. He cracked them open a bit and when he found he could stand it, he opened them all the way and stared up at the blurry face of the Rani.

"Better?" she said.

"Except for the fact I can't see straight, yes," he slurred.

"I apologize. A precaution for the moment since I don't know you or your friend there and what you can do."

Alan snorted.

"You think I'm Superman, do you?"

"Frankly, I don't know what you are. I have dealt with clones in the past but not Time Lord clones, therefore I'm not sure just what you are capable of. So…better to be safe than sorry. And him…I have never dealt at all with an immortal so I'm taking every precaution I can. Now…I'm sure you probably have figured out why you're here?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"You are quite a curiosity."

Alan snorted.

"I just bet I am," he muttered.

"And you're married too. So I take it you copy your sire in every way?"

"I copy him in no way. I'm my own man with my own personality, thoughts and feelings. I'm not his slavish double."

"Really? But you're a clone."

"Have you done many experiments with clones?"

"Some."

"Are you aware that cloned animals do develop their own personalities separate from the original host? I may be his clone physically but I can think and reason on my own and I had the brains and desire enough to forge my own identity. I am not his clone, not in the way you're thinking."

The Rani turned to the Doctor.

"Is this true?"

The Doctor gave her an odd look.

"Well, yes…What do you think he's doing, moving his mouth while I play ventriloquist? He's his own separate person. You don't believe me, come and watch him in our living room on a Saturday night. You'll see how truly different he is then."

Alan couldn't help but grin at that. The grin fell off his face when the Rani blur turned back to him.

"So, if you are your own separate person, who is your lives mate? Because I'm assuming you didn't both marry Rain."

"Uh no, we're not into polygamy, thanks."

"Then who? I assume your lives mate was from Earth as well?"

She sighed when he didn't answer.

"You might as well answer because if I have to transmat all the captives up here to check for a ring, you'll suffer for it."

"Rose, her name is Rose," Alan said angrily.

"And she is…"

"The blonde and by God, if you hurt her…"

"WHAT? WHAT WILL YOU DO TO ME?" she screamed in his face. "You're helpless, clone, just like your sire. Just like everyone on this ship! You're only hope of escape lies tied down next to you so if I were you, I'd curb that tongue of yours, which despite your claims is apparently just like his! Rose, Rain, him, you, the immortal and everyone else belongs to me now and I will do what I want when I want with all of you! Now shut up or your beloved lives mate will be at your side in a hearts beat to watch you scream! Understood?"

"Yes," Alan hissed.

She looked up when Jack groaned.

"Ah, the immortal one wakes, excellent."

She patted Alan on the head.

"Don't go anywhere, my little clone; I'll be back with you shortly."

She moved past him while Alan tried to break through the restraints. She walked over to Jack who was slowly opening his eyes.

"Hello there, immortal one," she said.

"Hello there, evil bitch from Hell."

He grunted when the Rani slapped his face hard.

"Silence or I'll test this whole immortality theory right now!" she yelled at him.

She glanced at his hands.

"You don't have a marriage ring."

"Very good, very perceptive, take you long to figure that out?" Jack said, glaring at her.

The Doctor glanced at her and saw how furious she was becoming.

"Jack, stop, quit antagonizing her," he said.

The Rani smiled.

"See, some people in here have a bit of common sense, ape," she said to him. "So...what makes you think you're good enough to be around Time Lords, hmm?"

"I'm a hell of a lot more fun to be around than you are, that's for sure," Jack said.

She sighed angrily and for a moment the Doctor thought she was gonna slap him again but then she turned and walked back to his side.

"These are the kinds of people who caused you to turn your back on your planet and people? A ragtag bunch of semi-intelligent, barbaric, smart mouthed apes who don't know when to keep their sodding mouth shut and show respect to their betters! This is who you prefer to be around, Theta, these human abominations?"

"Like Jack said, they're more fun to be around than you are," he replied.

"You willingly broke the time law that states that you cannot have non-Time Lords and Ladies inside a TARDIS and you broke it for this lot who probably barely has the brain capacity to understand what a black hole is, let alone the TARDIS it powers. I admit you were wise to allow this Imiko to transform the majority of them into our kind so you can have intelligent conversations with them but still, I have never understood this attraction you have for these humans and I never will. They are the stupidest things in all creation. What? Are you trying to make them smarter by being around them? Is that your plan? I've been to this Earth of yours numerous times, Theta, and I saw absolutely nothing of value there, certainly nothing that would capture the fancy of a Time Lord who should know better, but doesn't. These…Earthlings are no better than sheep, easily led, easily controlled…or is _that_ the attraction? Do you like them because you get to be the dominant one and satisfy that overblown ego of yours? This Rain, is she docile like a lamb? Does she follow you everywhere with stars in her little eyes admiring her alien husband and putting him on a pedestal?"

"No."

"No? So she just weeps and faints and fawns over you at the first sign of your distress then."

She snorted when the Doctor narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh please, Theta, I haven't known the child for that long and even a blind man can see how enamored she is of you, so throw your eye daggers somewhere else."

She walked back over to Alan.

"And you, clone…Rose the same way? Easily dominated?"

The Doctor and Jack giggled when Alan let out a large snort.

"That answer your question, Rani?" he said.

She stared at him for a moment and summoned the TARDIS to bring Rose in. There was a flash and Rose gasped.

"Oh God, are you alright?"she said, looking at them.

"So, this is Rose," the Rani said to Alan.

He smiled trying to see his wife with his blurry vision.

"Yup," he said.

The Rani looked at Rose and noticed the dirty look she was giving the Time Lady.

"Let my family go!" she said.

The Rani walked up to her and drew her hand back to smack her face. Rose didn't flinch.

"Go ahead, I dare ya," she said.

The three men stifled their laughter. The Rani lowered her hand.

"Very good. At least I'm not dealing with a sniveling little wimp."

"If you're referring to Rain, I think you'll find she's not as sniveling as you might think," Rose said.

"Oh please, the little ewe was all over her ram crying and kissing and hugging him the moment I gave him a little shock."

"And?"

"And you're not, aren't you the least bit concerned about your lives mate?"

"I am but I don't blame my sister for the way she acted. She's not used to time travel like I am. I used to be like that when I first started out, before I grew in strength and power."

"So you think you're an expert at time travel then?"

She smirked.

"I am, yeah."

The Rani looked at the Doctor.

"Why do you keep looking at me like I'm somehow putting words in people's mouths?" he said to her.

"How long has this one been traveling with you?"

"Um…why don't you ask _this one_? She's been doing a very good job so far of making herself understood," the Doctor replied.

The Rani looked at Rose.

"Well?"

"Two years traveling with the Doctor. Two years working at Torchwood. 6 months traveling across different universes with the dimension cannon."

"And that small space of time makes you an expert somehow?"

"Compared to the way I used to be."

"Which would amount to you digging in the dirt, hooting like an ape thinking you are the universe's greatest gift when really you're just a walking, talking mutant that happened to rise up on its hind legs one day while searching for bugs and slugs in the grass and thought that qualified you to take over your miserable mud ball of a planet. And now this fox thing decided you might just make a good enough Time Lady but you are nothing, little ape. You're just a genetic accident like your husband is."

"Excuse me, lady, but if you are the superior one in this room then why do you feel the need to belittle the rest of us? Methinks you have more of an inferiority complex than any of us will ever have."

Everyone stifled their laughter when the Rani glared at Jack. She walked over to him.

"I think I'll start with you first," she said to him.

She turned back to the others.

"As for the rest of you…"

There was a flash of light and everyone vanished except for Jack. He looked around, horrified.

"What'd you do with them?"

"I have spread them out all over the ship and blocked them from each other. With the exception of the two lives mates. I have allowed the former ape lovers to be with their beloved husbands for the moment so Theta and his clone will keep calm until I need them again and that goes double for the upstart sheep they married."

Jack glared at her.

"You'll never get away with this."

Rani snorted.

"Please, that cliché phrase is older than Theta is, find something new to say."

She grinned at him.

"Correction, find something new to say after your cut tongue grows back in...if it grows back in."

Jack's blood ran cold when she walked over to a counter, opened a drawer and pulled out a scalpel.

"Now, first off, let's see if you can re-grow a severed head," she said walking towards him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Rain gasped and fell backwards onto the hard rocky ground. A second before she had been leaning up against the wall while everyone discussed where Rose might have gone and now here she was in the middle of what looked like a war zone. She looked all around her and noticed rubble and debris strewn across the barren ground. She looked up and noticed it was night. The moon was shining but it wasn't the Earth's moon because it had been split almost down the middle and was lying halfway open looking like Pac-Man was on his back.

"Where am I?" she said, getting to her feet.

She turned and looked and noticed a Saturn like planet far away in the sky, the moonlight making it glow brightly.

"Where has she taken me?" Rain said, looking around.

She gasped when a thunderous boom shook the ground, making her lose her balance and land hard on the rocky ground again. She heard another boom followed by the sounds of battle. Her hearts caught in her throat and she scrambled to her feet running to a nearby bombed out building. She crouched down just inside the door trying to calm her rapidly beating hearts while the booms continued. She heard robotic voices faintly screaming, "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!" followed by distant agonized screaming. She swallowed hard, suddenly wishing she was back in her cell.

"If this is your idea of a joke, Rani, I'm not laughing," she said.

The booms held off for a moment and that's when she suddenly realized she could feel someone inside her head. A very familiar, loving presence that was calling her name inside her mind.

"Thete!" she cried out when she recognized it .

The joy quickly faded when she realized if she was hearing him again that meant he was somewhere out in the war zone. Her hearts caught in her throat and she said a quick prayer to God to keep them both safe while she moved out of the house to see if she could see him. She thought back to him, calling his name and felt his joy in her mind along with a query on what was around her. She looked around and quickly described her surroundings.

_Stay there, Latara, get inside the building. I'll come to you,_ he thought to her. _Just lay low and keep quiet. If this is what I think it is, you don't wanna be visible for one single solitary moment._

_Yes, Thete,_ she thought back.

She dashed back inside the building and crouched down low while she tried to figure out her location. She glanced out the door at the moon while her Time Lady mind tried to identify it. But she didn't know any shattered moon and even if the moon wasn't normally split open it still resembled Earth's moon too closely for her to identify it. She glanced back around at the Saturn planet but again it was too far away to be of any use in identification. The ground around her was barren; the few trees she could see were dead and splintered apart. The buildings were plain and unadorned so she had no idea where she could be.

She gasped when she heard another boom and stuck her head back in the door.

"Rain?"

"Thete!" she called out when she heard his voice outside the door.

He came in the door and fell to his knees embracing her tightly.

"Thete, oh God, what's happened to us? Where are we?" she said, holding him.

The Doctor said nothing but Rain could sense his anguish and despair.

"Love, what is it?" she said, looking at his face. "Do you know where we are?"

He swallowed hard and nodded. Rain knew from the look on his face that it couldn't be good.

"Where are we?" she said, forcing herself to ask.

"Arcadia, during the Time War. The Battle of Merepos."

Rain stared at him, confused.

"But the Time War is over."

He nodded.

"Yes, it is. Which leaves two possibilities. We're right in the middle of the Time War itself but the Time War is time locked and only Dalek Caan was able to get back into it when he rescued Davros. In doing so, it cost him his mind. Our minds are intact which means the second possibility; we must still be on the Rani's TARDIS inside a simulation based on my memories."

"The TARDIS. This is the TARDIS? But…then again, Jenny and I did take a nap in that huge room that looked like the park."

The Doctor nodded.

"But why?" Rain said, indicating their surroundings. "Why go to all this trouble to get inside your memories and make this?"

He sighed.

"This planet here, Arcadia, was lost because I lost the Battle of Merepos. The Daleks took control of this world and laid it to waste. I've felt guilty about it ever since and I have a feeling this is meant to torment me."

"Wait, Thete, why do you have all this guilt?"

"Because I couldn't save the planet, love."

"Yeah, but how big a planet is this?"

"Fairly big."

"Yeah and you're only one man. Thete, I'm not trying to minimize what happened here but you tried with all your might to save this planet, didn't you?"

"With every fiber of my being."

"Then…don't feel guilty. You did what you could, all that you could, but you can't save everyone and everything in the universe. Please let go of it, my love, and then the Rani won't be able to torment you with things like this."

The Doctor smiled and nodded. They gasped when they heard another boom. The Doctor looked out the door.

"That was the Arcadian resistance trying to blow up the Daleks. Or what was left of them at that point," he said.

He gave her a sad smile.

"I will take your advice and let go of what happened here because I really do need to so I can move on with my life. But just because I do doesn't mean we're not in danger right here, right now. I have simulation rooms like this on our TARDIS and you can make them as realistic as you want for training purposes. This might be extrapolated from my memory but that doesn't mean the firefights and bombs and Daleks won't be real enough to kill and we might end up dying from all of this. So stay close at my side, no wandering off until we find a way out, alright?"

"Yes."

They looked out the door. Rain pointed up at the moon.

"Is that cracked because of the war?"

"Yes. The Daleks tried to set up a base there and the Arcadians almost split their moon in half blowing the base to bits with a missile barrage."

Rain stared at it, shocked at how desperate these people must have been to nearly blow their own moon apart. She had heard a smidgeon of things about the Time War from both her husband and brother but she had never really known it was this bad since the Doctor blocked the bulk of his memories about it during their memory sharing. Looking around her she thought it a wonder and a blessing the Doctor got through it with his mind as intact as it was. When she heard another boom, she had a thought and grabbed the Doctor's arm.

"Um…Thete, I know that Arcadians are normally peaceful but um…they aren't trigger happy at this moment, are they?"

The Doctor thought.

"I'm not sure, Latara. I was with them but I was in my eighth life and the resistance knew me. We don't look like Daleks but that doesn't mean they couldn't panic and shoot blindly at us."

"And your eighth life wouldn't know this body yet," she murmured.

"No, love, he wouldn't. Although if this is a simulation, it wouldn't matter anyway since he wouldn't be real."

"And I suppose the exit to this thing is somewhere in the battle?"

He snorted.

"Knowing the Rani, yes its smack dab in the middle of the heaviest barrage of the whoooooole war. Although…not necessarily…"

"Thete?"

"Latara, why put us here to have us die in a fake firefight? No, there's more to this than meets the eye. There's a reason for this memory and I'm willing to bet it's serving a function other than tormenting me. But, until we figure out that function, it's best to keep moving. So follow me and keep your head low. Do what I do."

She nodded. He glanced around, took her hand and the two of them ran away across a cratered field. Rain flinched when she noticed explosions several miles away followed by the cry of EX-TER-MIN-ATE and more screams. She shook her head. Her dad had some friends that served in the jungles of Vietnam and she grew up listening to some of the horror stories from that. She never imagined she'd end up in a war, even if it was fake. They crouched down behind a hill to get their breath while the Doctor looked all around him to try to determine where they should run to. Rain glanced at her husband and noticed how on edge he was now while he looked around them for danger. She touched his arm and he looked at her.

"Thete? How long did you fight this Time War?" she said.

The Doctor calculated.

"About 22 years."

Rain's eyes bulged out of her head.

"22 years? Oh, my God! Every day?"

"Every single day, my love," he said, matter-of-factly, resuming his reconnaissance.

Her hearts broke hearing that. She saw the on edge look come back to his face and grieved for him knowing he more than likely had that look every minute of every day for 22 years straight.

"Come on! This way I think," he said, taking her hand and pointing off to the southwest. They ran across another cratered field trying to ignore the explosions while they headed towards another bombed out house.

Reaching it, they hurried inside and Rain gasped when she saw the occupants…or what was left of them. The Arcadians had pale yellow skin with long brown hair that ran down the back for both men and women. Both sexes wore skin tight white body suits. There were several dead Arcadian bodies lying on top of one another, their milky eyes staring blankly up at them. Moonlight poured through a shattered window nearby illuminating them perfectly. Rain put her hand over her mouth and nose, horrified beyond belief and nauseated at the smell of decaying flesh. She looked at her husband and saw a weary look on his face while he stared at the corpses, the result of seeing horrors of this nature over and over for centuries. Seeing that numbed look, she was unable to contain her anguish any longer. She threw her arms around him and held him tightly.

"Oh Thete, my poor Thete," she moaned softly. "I wish you hadn't gone through this, any of this."

The Doctor's hearts swelled with love while he held her tight against him. He smiled, feeling her love radiating in his mind and he knew his beloved was trying her best to ease the pain and torment of centuries of horrors like this. Knowing that she wanted nothing more than to save him from his nightmarish memories made his love for her increase a thousand fold and he gazed at her tenderly, stroking her mind along with her hair and soothing her frazzled nerves.

"Now you know why I never wanted to share these memories with you," he whispered in her ear.

She swallowed hard and kissed his cheek while she rubbed the back of his head. She stood there holding him close and despising the Rani for doing this to him. She didn't know what she was up to now but she had a feeling she was trying to break his spirit so he would be easier to control when the time came to experiment on him. She was determined not to let that happen. The protective side of her came to the fore and she wanted more than anything to beat the crap out of the Rani for upsetting the man she loved.

They stayed that way for a moment basking in each other's love and strength before the Doctor decided they should move on to another house. He took her hand, gave it a squeeze and the two of them ran back out into the night.

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They went from bombed out house to bombed out house, occasionally seeing more dead bodies along with the burned out shells of Daleks. The first time she saw one outside one of the houses, curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to examine what up till then had just been stories and a shared memory or two. The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and stood behind her, keeping watch but at the same time curious about his wife's reaction to the dead remains of his foe. The top of the Dalek had been blown apart and she could see the charred remains of the squid creature inside. She stared at it thinking how odd it looked and how out of place it was amidst the big bulky battle armor that had once encased it.

Without thinking, she murmured, "This thing is my husband's greatest enemy?" and her comment was rewarded with a chuckle and a rub on her back.

"Yes, he is," the Doctor replied, smiling. "Pretty pathetic, huh?"

She shook her head.

"Why would you even make something like this?"

"Result of a failed experiment. After Davros realized the Kaleds, his people, were mutating during this 1000 year war they had with the Thals, he tried to speed up the process to see what the mutation would end up looking like and hey presto, he got squidy boy. He put them in suits of armor, removed all their emotions except hate and my greatest enemies were born."

She shook her head.

"And they helped make all this," she said, gesturing around her.

"Yup and left many other planets in ruins besides this one."

She looked at the plunger.

"Why?" she said, pointing to it. "If they have little squid arms, then why…"

"Not give them arms?" the Doctor finished.

"Yeah," she said, nodding.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Latara. I guess he was such a nutter; he didn't stop to think they might need an arm or two. Or maybe he had severe diarrhea and the loo kept needing to be plunged afterwards so he made sure he always had one handy."

Rain laughed at that which made the Doctor smile. He kissed the back of her head loving the sound of her laughter amid all the bombs and screams. He only wished he had heard laughter like that back when he was actually fighting the war. They took one last look at it before they went on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finally, they found some living people. In a larger house that wasn't quite so ruined they found the resistance, or what was left of it since there were only about thirty Arcadians left. But that wasn't what held Rain's attention, it was the man near the front going over battle plans with two older Arcadian men, a man dressed in Edwardian era clothes with shoulder length curly brown hair. She had seen flashes of him during the memory sharing so she knew it was his eighth life. The man greeted them warmly and her Doctor explained that they were originally from off world and had moved to Arcadia several years ago. Eight shook his head.

"Shame you got caught up in all this then," he said. "But you're more than welcome to take shelter here."

"Thank you," her husband said.

Eight walked away and Rain watched him. His frock coat and clothes were slightly dirty and worn but other than that, he looked like the memory she had seen, albeit out of place with his archaic outfit. She looked at her husband and leaned in close.

"Why the 1800's outfit, Thete?" she whispered. "I mean, you looked handsome in it but you wore that in the middle of a war?"

He chuckled.

"It was actually quite comfortable, you'd be surprised," he said.

"Yeah, but love…weren't you kinda hard to miss in that outfit? I mean, I would think you'd wanna blend in if you're fighting something that's trying to kill you."

"Well, I'm kinda a creature of habit as you can probably guess," he said, gesturing to his own suit. "Once I like an outfit, I stick with it, except for rare occasions like the kimono in Japan. I stuck out like a sore thumb anyway since I'm sure you noticed the Arcadians all had yellow skin."

"At least you weren't wearing the rainbow outfit that one life wore. They would have shot you in the first thirty seconds of the war."

The Doctor cleared his throat when she giggled.

"Yes. Well, um…that life, my brain went a bit wonky," he replied.

"A bit?"

"Oi!" he said as she giggled.

The giggle was overheard by his eighth self who looked up from the battle plans and smiled warmly at Rain, his blue eyes sparkling at the sound of her laughter.

"There ya go; you made me smile for a moment. You're a miracle worker, my hearts," her Doctor said.

"I'm glad something made you smile in the middle of all this," she said, sighing.

The Doctor nuzzled her hair and kissed her scalp. Rain closed her eyes and held him close, loving the feel of his warm body and thanking God that he was with her and out of the Rani's hands for the moment. She opened her eyes and noticed someone standing nearby staring at them in disbelief. Her head jerked up and the Doctor frowned and looked where she was looking. His eyes widened when they saw Jenny.

"Mum? Dad?" she said.

"Jenny?" Rain said, a smile spreading over her face.

They ran to each other and embraced each other, happy that their daughter was safe.

"Dad! Dad, you're alright!" Jenny said.

"Yes, Angel, I'm here. I'm alright, we're both alright!" he said, hugging her tightly.

"I take it, she's yours?"

They turned to see Eight behind them.

"Yes, she is," the Doctor said.

"Good. We found her wandering around outside. She was confused so we brought her in and gave her shelter. I'm glad she found her parents."

"So are we," Rain said.

He nodded and smiled and put a hand on Jenny's shoulder.

"You look after yourself, young lady," he said.

"Thank you, I will…um…"

"Doctor. I'm the Doctor."

Ten turned his head to hide his smile when he noticed Jenny's stunned expression. Eight walked away and went back to his battle plans.

"Come this way, my daughter," The Doctor said, taking her hand.

They led her up to the front of the building and the Doctor gently explained what was going on and who the man was. Jenny listened to him, her stunned expression still etched on her face.

"But, Dad, how can this be your memory? It's real!" she said when he finished.

If it's what I think it is, the TARDIS got in my head and pulled out this memory without my permission and used it to build the simulation. This isn't an exact duplication of my memory but it's based on it," he said. "And that man over there is my memory of myself during the Time War which is why he's the Doctor."

"But why are you dressed like…that?"

Rain laughed when he threw up his hands.

"Alright, alright, I admit the Edwardian look was an odd choice especially in the middle of a war, guilty as charged. Now can we move on and try to think up a way outta here before the transmat seizes us all and separates us again?"

"Dad, please don't leave us," Jenny said.

He held them both close.

"Not a chance, not when I have my wife and daughter here. We have to get out of here so we can kick the Rani's ass and save the day, eh?"

They nodded and smiled.

"Well, let's get a move on then," he said, taking their hands as they walked out the front door.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Azran felt like he was gonna puke. He had been helping his mistress kill the immortal over and over again, sometimes in the most gruesome ways imaginable. She had tried cutting his head off and Azran flinched when he heard the gurgling from his slit windpipe and watched the blood pour from his throat while she ruthlessly sawed through his flesh with a scalpel. Mercifully, he died soon after she started and she finished the job with a handsaw which led Azran to conclude she'd been using the scalpel to make the death as painful as possible. The head lay there for a moment and then snapped back onto his neck and the two parts fused before he let out a loud gasp and woke up. After that, there was no end to the Rani's depravity and cruelty, she took out his heart, his lungs, his trachea, did a vivisection while he was still alive and conscious and slowly cut him from groin to chest with a bone saw, among other things. After all of that, Azran could barely keep it together. The poor man bore it well but he saw signs that was his mind was almost ready to snap and he knew that the other captives would join him in the torment if he didn't do something.

Mercifully, the Rani grew tired of testing his immortality and went off to clean up and take a rest leaving him lying in a small pool of his own blood that was only staying on the metal table because she had put metal guards all the way around it. He was naked by now, shivering and bloody but amazingly there were no visible scars from all the cutting and sawing she did.

As he lay there quaking from the cold, he caught Azran's eye and the shaking instantly stopped to be replaced by a ramrod posture and a defiant stare.

"What's wrong, your mistress tire out before she could finish her 1001 ways to dissect me or are you gonna hit me with a two by four next?" he spat out.

"I'm sorry, I really am," Azran said, walking up to him.

"Oh yeah, I just bet you are," he growled fighting the restraints. "I'm sure you were sorry the whole time you stood there and watched her take me apart piece by piece. Funny how you never protested the whole time she was doin' it."

"I have no choice."

"Bullshit! You always have a choice. It's thanks to you and your choices that I and my family are your prisoners and they're now all God knows where on the TARDIS awaiting the moment when it's their turn to be probed, prodded and dissected like frogs. I may be this big scientific curiosity to you but I'm also a human being and I have a life and not only that I have friends and family who love me which is probably more than you have. And I swear to you, I will fight tooth and nail to protect the ones I love so you better hope and pray they are all alright at the moment because if I find so much as a hair out of place on any of them, I'm coming after your mistress and you'll be next after that! Now where are they? Where is the Doctor and Alan, what have you done with them?"

"I've done nothing. The Mistress took the specimens…"

"THEY'RE NOT SPECIMENS!" Jack screamed, startling Azran. "They are people with lives of their own and feelings and thoughts and people who care for them. They are not your damn lab rats, you got that? Now where are they?"

"They're safe, I swear!"

"Take me to them! I want to see them!"

"I can't."

"Then you're no better than the Rani is. I noticed the look on your face when she was killing me. I know how nauseous you were watching her do it. You're not like her. Fight! The Doctor can help you and Alan and me and everyone else. We can get out outta here; give you a fresh start somewhere. But you have to be willing to stand up to the Rani and do what's right! Please! These people you kidnapped are a very large part of my whole world and they along with a few others are all I have. I don't want to see them die or even regenerate. Please help me, help us."

Azran hesitated a moment staring at his pleading eyes.

"Come on, you can't agree with what she does. You're not evil, I can tell. Please help us."

Azran swallowed hard and nodded while Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He ran over and undid the restraints.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, the TARDIS may tell her what you're doing."

"Let her tell, I'll face that bitch with one hand tied behind my back and my head off my body, if need be. She can't kill me. If she hasn't learned that after the 50th attempt then she's a bigger idiot than I thought."

Azran removed one of the guards and jumped back when blood cascaded over the edge onto the floor like a waterfall. He gulped when Jack watched it spill on the floor and then gave him a dirty look.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I want to make up for this now," Azran said, pointing.

Jack said nothing. He eased himself onto the floor taking care not to slide in his blood. Azran led him over to a room that had a shower in it. Jack jumped in long enough to get the blood off his body while Azran fetched a towel and his clothes. Jack got out, dried off with the the towel and put his clothes on. He got out the door and looked at Azran.

"Take me to them," he said.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the clone and his lives mate," he said, starting to walk off.

He grunted when Jack seized his arm.

"Their names are Alan and Rose, not clone and lives mate," he snarled at him.

Azran nodded.

"Let me take you to Alan and Rose then," he said.

"That's better."

Jack followed him while he ran out the door.

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Alan sat up against the back of the cell holding Rose close and rubbing her back while they waited for whatever was going to happen to happen. Even though they were currently in a concrete jail with prison bars, their minds had been somehow cut off from everyone except each other and they had been talking silently to one another reassuring themselves that everything would be alright and they would see their loved ones alive again.

Alan kissed the top of his wife's head and then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and his eyes widened when he saw Jack step into view.

"Evenin', you two, ready to get outta here and go on to Christmas at Sarah Jane's?"

"Jack!" Rose said, getting up and running to him, "oh, it's so good to see you."

"You too, both of you. Are you alright?"

"Yes, we're fine. How 'bout you?"

"I'm fine, she just roughed me up a bit," Jack lied.

He stepped aside and Azran stepped into view.

"You!" Alan snarled.

"No, please I want to help," he replied.

Both of them gave him a wary look. They glanced at Jack who nodded.

"Fine. You can help us find the others then," Alan said.

"I know where they are. Just stand back and I'll get you out," he said.

He pulled a duplicate set of keys that his mistress had entrusted him with and unlocked their door. Rose ran out and embraced Jack.

"Oh God, are you a sight for sore eyes," she said.

"Yeah, you too and you, pal," he said, hugging Alan.

Jack noticed their eyes widen.

"What is it?"

"I can feel Donna and Awinita good," Rose said as Alan nodded in agreement.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get them!" Jack said.

Rose connected with her sisters and told them to be on the lookout for them while they followed Azran.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor rested with his family behind a hill. They had been searching for a way out through the war zone while trying to avoid the lasers of the Daleks but so far hadn't had any luck. The Doctor glanced up and over the small mound of earth while his wife and daughter sat nearby.

"Thete, what if there's no way out?" Rain finally said.

He shook his head.

"There has to be a way out."

"But what if the TARDIS keeps hiding it from us? What if she keeps us in here until the Daleks finish us off?"

The Doctor lowered himself back to his knees and took her hand.

"Don't think that way, love. We'll find a way out of here."

He and Rain felt the TARDIS laughing in their minds.

_She's right,_ the TARDIS thought to the Doctor. _You'll never find a way out and you and your family will die._

_Why are you doing this to us? TARDISes don't act this way, especially not against Time Lords. She's done something to you to warp you._

_She's done nothing to me. I serve my Mistress faithfully. _

_No, she has done something. No TARDIS in their right mind would agree to do this. You have seen what she does, you can't agree with it. She harms the innocent, can't you see that?_

_You will never defeat me! I will keep you and your family lost in here and in my corridors forever. _

_Oh? Well, we shall see about that. You see, I just got a brilliant idea, something I should have done when I first got in here. So, set out your best china, you're about to get a little guest in here._

"Mum? What's Dad doing?" Jenny asked her.

"He's talking to the TARDIS, sweetheart, like we did earlier."

"But it doesn't work, we tried that, Dad."

The Doctor ignored her. They watched while he closed his eyes and entered a deep trance.

"Mum? What's he doing?"

"I don't know, Jenny."

She felt the TARDIS's anger and frustration in her mind, felt it screaming curses at the Doctor but her husband remained passive and unmoved. She glanced around nervously when they heard the distant sounds of the bombs but he didn't move, just continued to hold the trance. Rain put her arms around Jenny and they held each other close while they watched silently.

Suddenly, Rain felt the malicious presence of the Rani's TARDIS receding away to be replaced by the familiar loving presence of their TARDIS. Rain smiled when she felt their ship touch their minds joyfully.

"TARDIS!" Rain said, aloud.

Jenny looked at her.

"What is it, Mum?"

"Our TARDIS, love. Your dad got in touch with her."

_Yes, my beloved family. I am here,_ the TARDIS thought to her.

"TARDIS," the Doctor said aloud while still in the trance. "I need you to fight the Rani's TARDIS. Undo what she did to make her evil or contain her so she can't impede our rescue and escape."

_Yes, my love, I am here and I will help gladly,_ she thought to him.

Rain felt the Rani's TARDIS began to scream in frustration and fight their TARDIS with all she had but to her relief the older TARDIS was able to fight the younger one. The Doctor kept himself in the trance while she did it.

"That's it, my girl. Fight! The Doctor muttered. Fight what this TARDIS has done to us.

The Rani's TARDIS howled with rage inside Rain's mind. She glanced at Jenny who was staring at both her parents in confusion. She felt the battle rage on in her mind while the Doctor sat quietly. Another distant boom of a bomb but she noticed that now the bombs seemed to get farther and farther away from them.

Suddenly, they saw the landscape around them blink in and out and for a second, they could see they were kneeling in a large empty metal room before the war zone came back.

"What was that?" Jenny asked Rain.

Rain smiled.

"I think our TARDIS is overriding the Rani's TARDIS and forcing her to do what she wants," she said to her. "The TARDIS is the one keeping this simulation alive and our TARDIS is forcing her to stop running it, I suspect."

Again, the landscaped changed from the war zone to the metal room and back while the Rani's TARDIS howled and pushed back at the older TARDIS.

"Come on, girl, help us. Save us from this place," Rain said aloud.

There was about five more minutes of a back and forth tug of war between the two ships and then with one more anguished howl, the Rani's TARDIS finally gave in, fell silent and the simulation winked out for good leaving them alone in the silent metal room. The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled at them.

"My girl has control of the Rani's TARDIS. We're safe now. If anything, the Rani's the one who should be afraid."

"But, what did you do, Dad?"

He took her hand.

"My TARDIS is linked to me in my mind. I went into a trance, connected to this TARDIS and acted as a conduit to bridge the gap so my TARDIS could enter here and take over. Now she's done just that which is why the simulation stopped. There's no reason to fear this TARDIS now. It's enslaved to mine and mine is much more powerful. She may be older but she's been around the block a hell of a lot more and knows a few tricks up her circuits. And there, my beloved wife and daughter," he said, pointing to the far wall, "is the way out of this hellhole we found ourselves in. So, shall we?"

He took their hands and they stood up with him. He kissed both their foreheads and walked with them to the door. They opened it and the corridor immediately rearranged itself. The Doctor smiled at Rain.

"I think the girl is leading us back to our family now," he said, taking their hands. "Let's walk and let her navigate the way, eh?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack hugged Donna tightly. So far they had found her, Awinita and Mingxia.

"Now all that's left is the Doctor, Rain and Jenny and we'll be on our way," Jack said. "So, where are they?"

Everyone froze except for Mingxia, Jack and Azran. The three non Time Lords stared at them when huge smiles spread over their faces.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Our TARDIS, it's here," Rose said. "The Doctor allowed her entry into this TARDIS and she subjugated the other one. Our TARDIS is in control now."

Mingxia raised her eyebrows.

"Seriously? We don't have to worry about being attacked by her ship?"

"No," Alan said. "The old girl is holding her at bay and she's bringing the rest of the family members here while she dismantles the mental blocks and…"

They all cried out with joy when suddenly they felt the Doctor and Rain wink back into their minds.

_Brother! Oh God, it's good to hear from you again!_ Alan thought.

_You too, Te'lesau. Rain and Jenny are with me. I managed to get the old girl in here and sort out the Rani's TARDIS so we're all safe and coming back to you. Have you found the others? Are Jack and Mingxia there?_

_Yes, we're all here and safe! Hurry!_

_Okay, hold your horses, we're coming as fast as we can!_ He thought with a laugh.

A moment later, the three final family members rounded the corner up ahead of them and broke into a run. Azran stood back and smiled when all of them embraced each other, hugged and kissed.

"Is everyone alright? No one got seriously hurt, did they?" the Doctor said to them.

Everyone shook their heads, including Jack, since he didn't want to upset his family.

"What about you? What happened to you?" Awinita asked the Doctor.

"Weeeeeell…let's just say I and my family took a little stroll down memory lane for awhile. But now that everything's been sorted out, we can go get the Rani and…"

He trailed off when he noticed Azran for the first time. Everyone turned to look at him. Jack quickly explained what had happened leaving out the blood and dismemberment. The Doctor glanced at his family and then stepped forward.

"Is this true? Are you really willing to help and reform yourself or is this a trick?" he said to him.

"No, I want to reform and make up for what I did."

"Because I'm warning you, if this is a trick not only will you have me to deal with, you'll have my family and my TARDIS to contend with as well and none of us will let you get away with anything. Especially my TARDIS since she's the one in charge here now. You try to double cross us and you'll find yourself outside in a force bubble being dragged along while we go through the vortex, got it?"

He saw the intense look, the same one he had given him in the store and he nodded.

"Good. Now, let's get the Rani and get going so we can have Christmas and relax."

"I don't think so."

They all turned around and saw the Rani standing at the end of the corridor pointing a blaster at them.

"Good job my TARDIS alerted me to this. I'm far from through with you. I'm not even through with your immortal friend yet. I only got through half the deaths I wanted to try."

Everyone stared at him. Jack lowered his eyes.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't want you to be upset so I tried to pretend nothing happened."

They stared at him for a moment more and then turned their angry gazes back to the Rani.

"That's it, Rani," the Doctor growled. "Your reign of terror is over and done with now! You are going to Volag Nok and rot there for all eternity so you won't hurt anymore innocents!"

"I think not, Time Lord! You are in my TARDIS and you are still powerless. You and your little clan and your precious little wife and daughter. Did you enjoy the simulation? I did that for Jenny, you know."

"What? Why?"

"Because the TARDIS scanned her mind when she was a prisoner and told me all about her and her time on Messaline. How she was created just like your clone back there. How she was programmed to be a soldier and fight. I figured I would run that simulation to see how much of a soldier she really is. After all, I need someone to do my dirty work for me, collecting specimens and keeping them in line if they think about doing what you're doing and try to escape."

"You wasted your time. I didn't fight at all. Some people found me and I went and rested in a building until my Mum and Dad found me."

"What? Why did you do that? It's in your blood to fight a war! The TARDIS said so!"

"No, not anymore. My Dad and my family showed me a life beyond the battleground. I don't wanna fight, at least not voluntarily. I wanna be a normal Time Lady and have the life they have and the love they have. I don't consider myself a soldier now and I never will be one again."

The Doctor beamed at her and put his arm around her.

"So, you see, your efforts were for naught. Although…why were me and Rain put into it if you were testing her?"

"You, I wanted to torment by showing you your greatest failure during the Time War and you…well, I was hoping the little lamb would be slaughtered in there."

Rain rolled her eyes. She kissed the Doctor on the cheek. Without any comment, she stepped forward, eyed the Rani for a moment and then without any warning did an Aikido round house kick and smacked her hard in the face sending her flying into the metal wall.

"That's for tormenting my husband in your stupid little simulation!" she yelled as she dropped to the floor. "It's for endangering my daughter, kidnapping my family and torturing and killing Jack and…it's just to show you that I'm far more than just a helpless little lamb. I'm a wife and mother and sister and I am tired of you messing with the ones I love. So I were you, I'd stay the hell away from them from now on!"

She turned and walked back to her stunned family.

"Okay, when it gets to be Rain's time of the month, we are all staying far out of her way, agreed?" Alan said as they laughed. "And by far out of her way, I'm thinking the year 100 trillion again!"

The Rani got to her feet. They snickered when they noticed a thin line of blood trickling out of her nose.

"You'll scream for that, you little whelp!" she yelled as she started to run towards her. "No one injures the Rani and gets away…OOF!"

They laughed when the TARDIS threw up a barrier and she smacked into it. They grinned when she fell backwards and more blood poured from her nose.

"Oh, by the way, neglected to mention, I allowed my TARDIS to enter in here and take control of yours which is why you're flat on your back again," the Doctor said gleefully.

The Rani tried to get up and grunted when her head smacked the top of the force bubble that was now surrounding her. She looked at Azran standing near the back.

"Well, you're my servant! Kill them! Capture them! Do as I say."

"Piss off, Rani. I'm through taking orders from the likes of you."

Her mouth fell open when everyone laughed hysterically.

"You won't get away with this! None of you will! You may think you've won, Doctor. But I know you won't kill me like the weakling you are and I'll escape any prison you put me in! And then I'll not only come after you and your family but I'll have a special revenge in mind for your little upstart wife! And you…I'll get you, you traitor! I…"

They grinned when the TARDIS filled the force bubble with sleeping gas.

"Cheers, TARDIS, that's just what she needed. A little kip to get over all those angry feelings of hers."

They turned and melted into a group hug, thankful that their ordeal was over now and they were safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After dropping the Rani off at Volag Nok and making sure her and her hibernating TARDIS were both put into secure cells forever, the Doctor took Azran to a planet where he felt he might get a fresh start and left him with a couple of close friends who promised to look after him and help him out with a new life. After that, he flew his ship into the vortex. He stood by his console and put in a call to Sarah Jane while everyone relaxed in the back and took turns taking a shower.

"I'm so glad you will come, Doctor. I'll be sure to get enough food for all of you and Torchwood as well. But Luke and the others wanted to ask you a favor."

"Yes?"

"Can you come Christmas eve afternoon and spend the night with us? They want to wake up bright and early on Christmas and would like you to be there too."

"Sure, we can do that."

"Great, I'm so glad you're gonna come and they'll be thrilled to. I…"

The Doctor gasped when the console suddenly went out of control and he let out an, "Oof!" when his gut slammed into the rim of the console.

"Doctor? Are you there?"

"Sarah, I gotta call ya back! The TARDIS is going out of control! Bye!"

He hung up and put the mobile in its hidey-hole while he raced around trying to control the TARDIS. He heard his family screaming in the back.

_Brother? What's going on?_ Alan thought to him.

_The TARDIS is out of control! _He thought to them._ I'm trying to calm her down. I…_

There was a thud and the Doctor fell back onto the jump seat. His family ran out into the console room a few minutes later.

"The hell, Doc, take it easy up here!" Jack said. "I was trying to shave and…"

Suddenly the doors flew open and everyone stared in awe while Imiko came up the ramp in her fox spirit form.

"Forgive me, my friends," she said, bowing. "The deadline is here and I was summoning you to me. I didn't mean to give you a bumpy ride."

"Well, as long as it's you and not some monster," the Doctor said, standing up.

They walked over to her, everyone smiling warmly except for Jack and Jenny who were perplexed.

"Who's the Japanese fox person? Is this Imiko?" Jack asked them.

"Hai, Jack-san, I am Imiko the kitsune," she said, bowing.

Mingxia came forward.

"Have you decided, Mingxia-san?" Imiko asked her.

She smiled at her family.

"Yes. I want to be a Time Lady."

She bowed.

"Very well, it is done."

They all watched, overjoyed, while Imiko put her hand on Mingxia's head and the white light poured into her head. Everyone's smile grew wider when they felt her mind slowly coming into focus in their own. She took her hand away and everyone embraced her and poured loving feelings into her newly created Time Lady mind. Imiko smiled at her and then looked at the Doctor.

"I believe you also had some requests for me, Doctor-san?" she asked.

The Doctor held out his hand and Jenny came to him.

"My daughter means the universe to me. I love her and I want her to become the Time Lady she was meant to be. Please can you undo the damage that the machine on Messaline did and make her a full Time Lady like the rest of us?"

"Hai, Doctor-san."

The Doctor felt tears come to his eyes while everyone else rejoiced. Imiko held out her hand to Jenny who glanced up at her father.

"It's alright, Angel. It won't hurt. Will it?"

"No, Jenny-san, it won't hurt at all," Imiko said.

"And I'll be like Dad and Mum and everyone else?"

"Hai."

Jenny smiled and stepped forward. The Doctor put his arm around Rain while Imiko put her hand on her head and the white light poured through. Tears rolled down both parents' cheeks when they felt Jenny's mind in their own after a moment and they hugged one another knowing their daughter was a true Time Lady at last. Imiko finished and Jenny smiled.

"Thank you," she said to Imiko.

She bowed and looked at Jack while Jenny and her parents embraced.

"I believe you also wish to have the Time Lord ability to feel minds and speak to others telepathically?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you do not want more? I can cure you of your immortality if you wish."

Jack thought about it and then shook his head.

"No, leave that part alone. I've accepted who I am, flaws and all. I just want to be able to communicate with my family, that'll be good enough for me."

"So be it. Step forward."

"Boy, the guys back at the Hub will never believe this," he said, glancing back.

She put her hand on his head and a golden light poured into his head instead of a white one. Everyone smiled when they felt the last mind join their own. Imiko finished and Jack saluted her in gratitude and smiled at the others.

"Wow, freaky, I really can feel all of you now, weird," he said as they laughed.

Imiko smiled.

"Now, my service to you officially ends. I wish all of you long, happy and prosperous lives and may you always be there for one another as a true family."

She bowed and they bowed in return. Then there was a bright flash of light and when it was gone Imiko was gone. Everyone turned and smiled at one another as they embraced in one big group hug. Everyone sent loving feelings into each other's mind.

"Oh yeah, definitely gonna like this from now on," Jack said, feeling all the love.

The Doctor turned when they were done and closed the doors.

"Better call Sarah back and tell her the news," he said. "Then we have some bonding ceremonies to conduct, a family portrait to get and some presents to shop for. So look sharp and shake a leg my beloved Time Lord Lady family, we gotta get this Christmas shindig up and rolling!

A/N: The reason why Jack was included in this was because I was trying to explain why he as the Face of Boe could talk to the Doctor and everyone else telepathically in the show. As for the Doctor feeling him in his mind then, I think he could block that or mask his true identity with the Boe persona. Anyway, this is why Jack was included plus Jack is practically family to these people anyway. But I hope you liked it so far and now, on to Christmas Eve at Sarah Jane's house!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

After getting everything together, picking up the members of Torchwood and getting their Christmas shopping done, the Doctor set a course for Sarah Jane's house on Christmas Eve. While he flew through the vortex and waited for everyone to get done with showers and other things they needed to do, he glanced over at his wife and daughter standing by his side and smiled while he gave them both mental and physical kisses. At long last, he finally could feel his beloved daughter in his mind and he knew she was a full Time Lady. And now she was on her way to her first real holiday celebration for a bit of relaxation.

He glanced over when Rose walked up and stood beside him.

"Hey you, ready for Christmas?" the Doctor asked.

"After everything that just happened, yes. But that's not why I'm out here with you lot."

He frowned.

"Why are you out here then?"

"I need your protection."

"Protection? From who?"

"From him!"

The Doctor looked around and saw Alan standing in the doorway with an evil grin on his face.

"You do realize it's only a matter of time until I catch you unawares and then you'll be tickled," he said, leaning casually against the wall.

"Not while I'm over here," she said as the Doctor chuckled. "The Doctor will protect me."

"He can't watch you forever," he said, shrugging. "Sooner or later, you'll get careless and then your armpits will be mine. In the meantime, I'll get the presents together in a bag but just remember…I'm watching you."

Rain and Jenny giggled and the Doctor smiled and shook his head when Alan left the room. Rose looked at him.

"You'll protect me, won't ya?" she asked him.

The Doctor pretended to consider that.

"Um…not sure if I can, but I'll certainly do my best," he said, winking.

Jack came out into the room and walked up to Rose.

"Alan has a message for you. He's watching you and soon your pitties will be his. He stopped me in the hall and asked me to come and tell you that. I have no idea what kinky game you're playing with him but kindly leave me out of it, thanks!"

"We're not playing any kinky games!" Rose said to him as he walked away. "It's a joke, Jack!"

She looked at the Doctor, Rain and Jenny who were laughing hysterically. She shook her head and sighed.

"Geez, everything is sexual innuendo with him!" she said.

"You're telling me this? Rose, I've known that for years! I sussed that out two seconds after I met the man! The fact that you've finally figured it out after all this time just astounds me!"

Martha came out into the room and walked up to Rose.

"Um, is there a reason why Alan is standing just inside the back door staring at you while he keeps muttering about soon you'll slip up or something like that."

"Alan!" Rose said as everyone laughed. "Leave off the whole wanting to tickle my armpits rubbish! You're bothering everyone else now."

"Aw, I'm only enjoying myself," they heard him say. "It's Christmas Eve after all or will be as soon as the Doctor lands."

He walked into the room and put his arms around his wife while he gave her a kiss.

"Behave yourself at Sarah Jane's" she said.

They laughed when he gave her an incensed look.

"Yes, mummy, I'll be on my best behavior," he said. "You know, I realize I'm just under a year old but you don't have to treat me like it. Maybe I should get back in the jar and get back under the console so I don't cause trouble?"

Rose considered that for a moment.

"Nah, then the Doctor might trip over ya," she said, pinching his cheek.

"Yeah and thanks for the concern over me and what difficulties I might have being crammed back in a tiny jar!" he said as they laughed.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked at Jack.

"Speaking of hand in a jar, I still own you, remember that."

"Piss off, Harkness," he said as they bent over laughing. "You never owned me to begin with since this right here was my brother's hand all along."

"Yeah, actually, he has a point, Jack. You never asked my permission to take that," he said pointing to the hand.

"You never let me ask you."

"Well, I had no idea you were gonna scarper off with my hand. And where did you find it anyway?"

"In the street where it landed after falling off the Sycorax ship."

"And…you were just standing there?"

"No, UNIT found it and contacted me and told me it was you after they took a tissue sample and compared it with the one in your UNIT file."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"I gotta get that file away from that lot," he muttered. "I gotta resign there too so they won't have any reason to call me back."

"I didn't think they were that bad when I worked for them," Martha said.

"Yes, but Martha, you wanted to work for them. I didn't. I was basically their pet alien for a couple of years until the High Council finally lifted my exile. Sorry, with the exception of Jack's outfit, I don't like UNIT, Torchwood or anything that is along those same lines because they go blundering in and usually make things worse. The whole Sontaran fiasco should have clued you in to that. There were a lot of unnecessary casualties that day because they wouldn't listen to me. The Brigadier was one of a handful of people that I liked there, everyone else I could do without. Frankly, I'm glad you're with Jack now and Mingxia is with us. Both of you can do far, far better than them."

Donna came into the room speaking into her mobile. She walked up to the Doctor and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" he said.

"Granddad wants to drive over to Sarah Jane's, Christmas Day. You don't happen to know offhand how to get to her house from Chiswick?"

"Uh…no, I don't, sorry."

"He doesn't." she said into the mobile. "So, I'll ask Sarah Jane when we get there and call you back."

"Hi, Wilf," the Doctor said.

"He says hi."

She smiled.

"He says hi and he'll see you and everyone else at Christmas and be careful wherever you go."

He smiled.

"Tell him to do the same."

She relayed that to him while she sat down on the jump seat and talked. He glanced at her and telepathically contacted the others in the back asking if they were done yet and to ask Torchwood if they were ready. When he received confirmation that everyone was ready, he punched in the coordinates and headed for Sarah Jane's house.

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"Oh, it's so good to see you all again," Sarah Jane said, hugging them. "And I'm betting for you it's only been yesterday since you've seen me."

"Well, a couple of days actually," the Doctor said, hugging her back.

She hugged everyone in turn and ushered them all into the house. She showed them where to put their blankets, pillows, bags of gifts and a couple of board games they had for them and the teens. They smiled and said hello to Luke who had come down from his room to help them carry the stuff in.

"Rani and Clyde will be here later for supper and then they're gonna spend the night with us and open presents in the morning before they go back home," he said to them.

"How are you doing?" the Doctor asked him while he set down a bag of gifts.

"I'm doing well, thanks. We actually got done fighting the Bane and a Sontaran," Luke replied.

The Doctor frowned.

"Sontaran?" he said.

"Yes," Sarah Jane said coming into the spare room. "Kaagh. He escaped the Sontaran ship when it was blown up over Earth and was cut off from the fleet. We beat him once and then he came back for more with Miss Wormwood, the one who created Luke. They were sucked into a portal though so we don't have to worry about them now. But I did see the Brigadier."

The Doctor brightened.

"I was just talking about him. How is he?"

"He's well. He looks really good for his age actually. You need to pop by and say hello sometime. I'm sure he misses you."

The Doctor nodded. Once they were done putting their bags and blankets in the corner, Sarah Jane led them into the living room for tea. They discussed what had been going on lately, with Sarah Jane filling them in on the past two months they had skipped over and talking a little more about their adventures, including Miss Wormwood and Kaagh.

"So…what was Kaagh's battle name then? Kaagh the Oops I Got My Idiot Self Stranded on Earth?" the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane chuckled.

"No, Kaagh the Slayer."

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, at least that one isn't going to potentially change like Staal the Undefeated," he said.

After she finished her story, they told her about the Rani. Sarah Jane shook her head.

"How come you keep running into all these evil Time Lords and Ladies?" she asked. "Isn't there a survivor from your planet that isn't a psychopath?"

"If there is, we haven't found them yet," the Doctor said. "To be honest, I'd rather just stick with the Time Lords and Ladies in this room rather than find new ones."

Sarah Jane smiled at everyone.

"So, did that Imiko finally come back then?"

He grinned.

"Yup and now Mingxia and Jenny are Time Ladies and Jack has Time Lord telepathic abilities."

"Which I immediately lorded over my team," he said gesturing to them while they sat beside them.

They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.

"You do realize that if we cross the void, you're gonna lose our minds until we come back over," the Doctor said.

Jack frowned.

"I will?"

"Yes, because the void seals off universes. I have a void crosser but once I go through, the void gets sealed back behind me. As long as we're in this universe, you'll feel us but when we go to another universe, you won't."

"But I'll know when you're here in this dimension?"

He nodded.

"So, if I need you to do something for me…"

"Then I'm putting a damper in my TARDIS so I won't be your errand boy every time I come over here!" he said as they laughed.

"So, once you go somewhere else I'll get a big gaping hole in my mind?"

"Yes, if we go over the void, get knocked out or die, you'll know it if we're in the same universe and we'll go through the same thing with you, which…oh bugger, as often as you get yourself killed, Jack, you're just gonna be in and out of all our consciousnesses. We better get used to Uncle Jack's frequent black outs and deaths now, siblings."

They laughed. Sarah Jane smiled at Jenny who was resting against the Doctor's legs.

"And she's now just like you," she said.

He smiled and put his hand on her head.

"Yup, my beautiful daughter is a full Time Lady now," he said, fondly. "And so is Mingxia. So now we can just talk to one another wherever we are and not have to relay messages to the others."

"And Jack can hear you as well," Mickey said.

"Yes, unless we block him out or he blocks us."

"Block?" Mickey said, frowning.

"If we wanna speak privately with certain people we throw up a mental block around their mind so no one else can hear, otherwise, anyone can listen in, even if you do bring someone's mind forward and speak to them personally. I do that with Rain when I wanna think something personal to her and Alan does it with Rose. It's a way to ensure you have some privacy in the midst of a bunch of minds."

"And you really needed that when you had all those Time Lord and Lady minds on Gallifrey," Sarah Jane said.

He nodded.

"Although…there was so many that the sheer number of them made it harder for people to overhear things because there was so much background noise from 4 billion minds. When you only have 9 minds the blocks become more of a necessity. But if I say something without a block then I don't care who hears it and it's the same for the others."

Mickey nodded.

"And you can also feel everyone's emotions then? Jack said he was getting that now as well," Gwen asked.

They nodded.

"Yeah, I know everyone's moods unless they are blocking me. For instance, everyone I'm in contact with is happy and content right now which is nice since that makes it pleasant for me. I can feel love, anger, hate, fear…all the emotions and they can do the same for me. I can also feel pain if someone's injured since the pain center is located in the brain. We can also send love to each other which Rain does a lot."

Rain grinned and did just that.

"Like right now," he said as she laughed. "I can also send loving feelings to her during sex so I make love to her mind as well as her body."

"Whoa! Wish I could do that with Tom," Martha said.

"Same with Rhys. He'd love that," Gwen said to her.

"So I can do that too?" Jack said.

The Doctor frowned.

"Um…you can do it one way if it's a non-Time Lord or Lady but if it was another Time Lord or Lady, then you could do it and they'd do it in return."

Jack pointed at Ianto.

"You can do it to him but obviously he can't do it to you because he's completely human."

"Nuts, I should have asked Imiko to change you while I had the chance," Jack said to Ianto.

"Bit selfish of you, isn't it? Especially since I wasn't there," Ianto said as he snickered.

He glanced at Ianto.

"Nah, I like you just the way you are. I'll just give you those loving vibes and let you enjoy them."

He frowned.

"How do you do that?"

"Just concentrate on whoever's mind you want and picture sending a whole lot of love into it," the Doctor said.

Jack glanced at Ianto and stared at him while he concentrated.

"Getting those vibes yet, Yan?" he asked.

"I don't think so. I don't feel any more loved," he said while they laughed.

"Damn, this is gonna be hard to master."

"You shoulda asked to be a full Time Lord and then you'd have no problem," the Doctor said, shrugging.

Jack tried again. Suddenly, his eyes bulged when he felt a mass of love flooding his mind.

"The hell? Who was that?"

They looked at Jenny who was giggling.

"Oh! So it was you, huh?" Jack said.

"Just showing you how it's done," she said, shrugging.

A wry grin spread over his face and he concentrated on her. The Doctor glanced at him and looked down at Jenny.

"Feel anything, Angel?"

She shook her head.

"Like I said, you shoulda asked for a full Time Lord mind, but it's too late now."

"Trust me; I'll get the hang of this eventually."

The Doctor blocked his mind and telepathically told everyone else on the count of three to send as much loving vibes as they could muster into his mind. He counted mentally to three and then dropped the block just as everyone sent a mass of love into his mind. They laughed when Jack's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Damn! That felt good!" he said laughing. "That about bowled me over!"

The Doctor winked at Sarah Jane who was laughing and watching them fondly.

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After Rani and Clyde came over, they decided to order some pizzas and sodas since Sarah Jane was cooking them turkey for Christmas dinner. The pizzas arrived and they spread out the blankets and pillows on the floors and laid on them eating the pizzas and talking while Sarah Jane, the Doctor, Alan and Jack sat on the couch.

"I'm so glad you finally got Jenny sorted out so she's a full Time Lady," Sarah Jane said to the Doctor.

"Yup, me too. I'm glad I can feel her in my mind now and know that she's safe. It was lucky we ran into her when we were in the simulation because Rain and I had no idea she was there. If she had been hurt or killed we never would have known it. Not to mention we had no clue what was happening to Mingxia or Jack."

"I don't think you would have liked feeling me if you say you can feel pain," Jack said.

The Doctor glanced back at him.

_What did she do to you, old friend?_ He thought to him.

Jack frowned and tried to concentrate on his mind.

_Do you hear me?_ He thought.

_Yes. _

_Okay, um…well, I'd rather not say right now during Christmas. I will tell you later, I promise._

He nodded and turned his attention back to Sarah Jane.

"Sorry, that was rude of me to do that when you're sitting right here," he said sheepishly.

"It's okay, I understand. If you need to say something private to him, go ahead," she said, smiling. "Besides, he apparently needs the practice."

"Got that right. This is trickier than I thought. But I will master it if it kills me."

_Shamble bobble dibble dooble wanka wanka wanka ding dong dippity doooooooo!_

Jack frowned and looked at the Doctor.

"Did you just say a bunch of nonsense words in my mind?"

The Doctor shook his head. Alan snickered when Jack turned his head and eyed him.

"Just checking the lines of communication between us, Harkness," he said, reaching for another slice of pizza.

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After eating and helping to wash up the dishes, Sarah Jane went into her study to print up some directions from her house to Wilf's that Donna could use when she talked to him. The two brothers settled down on the floor with their wives. The Doctor and Alan both lay on their sides and let their wives snuggle up against their chests while Jack and Ianto lay next to one another. The others were scattered around them. The Doctor had his left arm draped lazily over his wife's body and his right arm propping up his head while he played Monopoly with Luke, Jack, Mingxia and Awinita. Jenny lay near her parent's heads watching quietly, trying to figure out the rules. Behind them Alan, Gwen, Martha and Rose played Scrabble while Mickey and Clyde played Risk. Donna and Rani sat on the couch and sipped tea while they talked quietly. The Christmas tree was turned on while it sat in the corner casting a multicolored glow on the blankets and walls and the radio was playing Christmas music. The Doctor rolled the dice and moved the dog four spaces to community chest. He picked up the card and his mouth dropped open.

"Second place in a beauty contest? This is no second place body!" he said as his wife giggled. "The nerve. I bet the whole thing was rigged."

"It was, I got first," Jack said. "Ianto here was the judge along with the rest of my team so there was no chance for ya."

The Doctor looked at Ianto.

"Isn't it annoying when he says things like that?"

"Extremely."

"I wouldn't talk, Mister Ego," Jack muttered, taking the dice from him.

The Doctor took ten pounds from Awinita and put it under the edge of the game board with the rest of his money. As he put the card back at the bottom of the pile, he noticed Jenny's interested look.

_Wanna learn how to play, Angel, so you can join in next time?_ He thought to her.

Jenny looked at him.

_Yes,_ she thought back.

He smiled and telepathically explained the rules while he watched Jack pass Go and collect 200 pounds. Jenny smiled, loving the sound of her dad's voice in her mind along with the loving feelings he was giving her at the same time. She loved being with him and everyone else and she was so happy that he found her again.

While they played, the Doctor suddenly felt someone at his back. He looked back and noticed Rose was smiling at him.

"Hi, Alan is threatening the whole tickling my armpits thing so I'm back for protection," she said to him.

"Get over here and play the game!" Alan said to her as the other two women laughed.

"No, you're gonna tickle me. I'm gonna stay with the Doctor where it's safe," she said.

The Doctor chuckled. Rose leaned up and over his arm and looked at Rain.

"Hello, Sis. Don't mind me; I'm seeking protection from my husband."

"Okay, have fun back there then," she said as everyone laughed.

Rose ducked back down and snuggled up against him while the Doctor sniggered. He laughed harder when Alan crawled over to her on his hands and knees.

"Get over here and leave my brother alone!"

"No, you're gonna tickle me. I'm comfortable now," Rose said. "It's nice and warm back here and I like listening to the Doctor's heartbeats, piss off!"

The Doctor laughed when Alan gave her an exasperated look.

"Fine! You're out of the game then!" he said over his shoulder as he crawled back to his spot.

"That's okay, I was losing anyway," Rose replied.

Rose leaned back up and put her chin on the Doctor's arm while she watched him move his game piece. Rain glanced at her.

"You do know my husband is trying to use that arm to play the game, right?" Rain said to her.

"Well, I need something to put my chin on while I watch," she said.

The Doctor glanced at her and saw the tongue between her teeth. He roared with laughter when Alan suddenly came over, grabbed her and hoisted her up before taking her back to her place.

"Your turn, dear," he said, plopping her down on the blanket.

Rose flipped him off while everyone laughed. She tried to crawl back but Jenny quickly crawled behind him.

"Hey!" Rose said as they laughed.

"Sorry, I'm taking your spot now!" Jenny said as the Doctor laughed harder.

"Aaaah, good one, Angel. Yeah, you watch my back and keep Rose from trespassing on my personal space."

"Okay, Dad."

Rose feigned anger for a moment and then winked at her and smiled while she crawled back to her place. The Doctor let out a contented sigh loving that his wife and daughter were near him, safe and happy along with the rest of his family. He glanced at Rain and kissed her scalp while she sent loving feelings into his mind.

Everyone glanced up when Sarah Jane came into the room.

"Wow! Um…Donna, I have the directions to my house if you wanna ring Wilf," she said, holding out a piece of paper.

"Okay, hang on, let me step through the zoo here," she said.

She carefully stepped over people until she reached her. Sarah Jane handed her the directions and she thanked her. She carefully stepped back to her place while Sarah Jane headed for the kitchen. She phoned Wilf while Rani leaned forward and watched the Monopoly game.

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After some pie and coffee, they watched TV for awhile and talked until it was half past 11. Sarah Jane permitted the three teens to sleep with the others and they moved their blankets and pillows out to the living room and lay down with them. They lay clustered together while the Christmas tree continued to shine, illuminating their faces in the darkness.

"So, I guess half of us will be going to sleep and the other half won't," Jack said.

"What'd ya mean?" Clyde said.

"Time Lords and Ladies only need to take a short nap about once a fortnight or so," the Doctor said. "So all of us that are Gallifreyan will be spending the night wide awake."

"All the better to catch the first rays of dawn so I can do the Christmas Rhumba for everyone."

Rose and Awinita giggled while the Doctor gave him an odd look.

"The Christmas whozy-whatsits?" the Doctor said.

"It's this little Christmas dance he made up the last time me and him and Rose had our first Christmas," Awinita said.

"Yes, I decided we needed some Christmas traditions so I took it upon myself to make one. No one can do anything until I have greeted the day with the Christmas Rhumba!"

The three teens giggled while everyone looked at each other.

"Like I said, my interest is peaked," Donna said as she lay behind him.

The Doctor and Alan snuggled up with their wives in front of them and Jack did the same with Ianto. Jenny crawled up next to her parents and settled down with her head on her arm. She smiled when Rain stroked her cheek and the Doctor kissed her temple.

_I love you,_ she thought to them.

_I love you too, Sweetheart,_ Rain thought to her.

_I love you, Angel, now and forever. I am so proud of you._

Jenny smiled and scooted closer to them while the Doctor lowered his head briefly to hers and poured love into her mind.

"You know what, I have an idea. How about I tell you all a Christmas story to help the ones who need to get some sleep," Jack said, rising up on his elbow.

They looked at him.

"What sort of Christmas story?" Mickey asked.

"The sort that entertains and educates as well as captures the imagination."

"And boring as hell since we have to go to sleep?" Mickey said.

"No," he said while they laughed softly. "My story will not be boring. It's about a Christmas demon."

"Um, why a demon?" Gwen asked.

"Because that gives the tale a bit of spice."

"If you say so, Jack," Gwen muttered. "Sounds more like something you oughta be saving for Halloween."

"Okay, well, I'll just combine them then and say that this is my Christmasween tale."

Jenny giggled.

_I like my new uncle, he's just as odd as the other one, Dad,_ she thought to him.

_You have no idea just how odd he really is, my Angel,_ he thought back.

Jack fiddled in his pocket, brought out a small pocket flashlight, turned it on and held it up to his face. Everyone glanced at each other and shook their heads while he cleared his throat.

"Okay….once upon a time there was this horrible demon named Mukluk who hated Christmas," he said in a sinister voice. "Mukluk lived above the village of Whatville in a cave and he just stood there looking down at the citizens of Whatville, hating them."

"Excuse me, Jack," Ianto said. "Call me crazy, but are you starting to combine this story with How the Grinch Stole Christmas?"

"No, I'm not. Just be quiet and let me tell it."

Ianto shrugged while Jack continued.

"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted…Mukluk hated Christmas with a passion and he just stood there on his snowy perch plotting how to get rid of it for good. Finally, he came up with a brilliant idea! He would wait until the citizens of Whatville were asleep, go down the mountain with an axe and chop them up into doggy chow."

He paused when Ianto turned his head and gave him an odd look.

"Just stay with me here, Yan," he said as everyone laughed.

Ianto turned his head back around.

"And so, Mukluk went into his cave and picked up a great, big, bloody axe that he would use to split open the Whatvillian's heads like melons. But, just then, there was this wheezing, grinding sound like a dying cow and the TARDIS appeared in front of the cave."

"Excuse me? Dying cow?" the Doctor said as they laughed. "Dying cow, Jack?"

"Well, it sounds like some kind of dying animal when it appears and disappears."

He cleared his throat and ignored the incensed look on the Doctor's face.

"Anyway, the door opened but instead of the Doctor, the dashing hero, Jack Harkness came out. For you see, several weeks earlier, the Doctor slipped on a banana peel, fell in a tub of acid and was dissolved."

Everyone looked right at the Doctor who was glaring at Jack.

"Just…let me finish, Doc," he said to him.

The Doctor threw up a barrier around Alan's mind.

_I suddenly regret going through the bonding ceremony with him. I make him my sibling and he hurls me in a tub of acid. What kind of thanks is that? _He thought to Alan.

Alan snickered.

_Don't worry, Brother. We'll avenge your untimely demise, I swear it, _he thought back.

_And naturally, with seven other Time Lords and Ladies alive, the only one who can pilot the TARDIS is the one who has the telepathic skills and nothing else,_ the Doctor thought back to him.

Mukluk turned around and let out a huge gasp. Who are you, he said. I am Jack Harkness; fear me for I am your doom…shut up, everyone, that's a great heroic line!" he said when everyone groaned.

"Better be glad I am dead in this story, Jack, because I'd be beating you up just now for saying something so idiotic," the Doctor said to him.

"I'd beat him up anyway for killing my dad," Jenny muttered.

"Oho, you hear that, Harkness? My daughter will soon sort you out."

"And so will the wife," Rain said.

They laughed when Jack stared at her with wide eyes.

"Yeah, remember when I kicked the Rani's teeth out of her head? I'll do that to you too if you don't bring my husband back from the grave."

"Um…suddenly there was this flash of light and the Doctor magically reappeared from the dead," Jack said quickly while everyone laughed.

The Doctor kissed her cheek.

_Thanks, love, for resurrecting me,_ he thought.

_Anytime, my darling._

Jack continued.

"Wait, Jack, the Doctor said, I'll come with you. No, no, said the dashing Jack Harkness, you've just gotten back from the dead. Here, have a sit down. Awfully decent of you, my heir to my TARDIS, he said sitting down on his battered weird seat thing that he got from God knows where."

The Doctor's mouth fell open when everyone giggled.

"You're the heir to what now, Harkness?"

"Your TARDIS, old man!"

They laughed even harder when the Doctor got to his feet, stuffed his hands in his pockets and calmly walked over while Jack scrambled to his feet and took off running. The Doctor paused by Ianto, watched him run down the hall and then walked back to his spot.

"Gee, the only dashing I see is the dashing he's doing to get away from the "Old man," he said, lying back down and putting his arm back around his wife.

They watched while Jack tentatively walked up to the edge of the blankets and stood there.

"So, anyway…"

"Something the matter, Jack?" the Doctor said innocently. "You seem tense and hesitant to lie back down again."

"Anyway…Jack faced the powerful demon, who by this time had recovered from his shock and was coming after him with his sharp claws and nasty fangs dripping with gore."

"Excuse me, Jack? What does this have to do with Christmas?" Luke asked.

"Thank you!" Everyone said in unison.

Jack eyed him while they laughed.

"Getting to it," he said to Luke.

"I don't think he knows where he's going with this, Luke," Clyde said.

"I do too!" he said as they laughed. "Anyway, the demon and Jack began a valiant battle for supremacy and the fate of CHRISTMAS…okay, there's the tie in to Christmas, Luke. Anyway, Mukluk was getting the upper hand so he did the only thing he knew that could possibly save all of Christmas. Grabbing the axe, he ran back in the TARDIS and chopped the Doctor up into pieces."

Everyone stiffened and looked at Rain who was giving him a dirty look.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"Just…listen, Rain."

"Better talk fast, mate, cause I suddenly have a feeling this'll be the last story you'll ever tell," Alan said.

"Jack took the pieces, put them all in separate jars and flew away to find Donna."

"P'eh, keep me out of this dog's dinner of a story, please," Donna muttered.

"Finding her, he had her touch all the jars infecting them with her magic and flew back while the jars exploded and an army of Doctor clones grew from the parts."

Alan looked at his brother and shook his head slowly while the Doctor grinned and shrugged.

"So, anyway…"

"If there's an ending to this story, Jack, please come to it. I'm sleepy and I can't go to sleep with your prattling," Gwen said.

"Getting to it if everyone will be quiet and let me tell it," Jack said. "So, anyway, the Doctor clones went out to face the foe. All of them fought valiantly but only one managed to stand against him, a smart alecky one that got most of Donna's sassy mouth."

_Gee, I wonder who that could be,_ Alan thought to the Doctor.

The smart alecky clone began to taunt Mukluk and did the Christmas Rhumba thing, confusing him all the more.

"You don't even know what that is yet, Jack," Alan said as Rose laughed.

"I'm just trying to set your clone apart from all the others, Alan."

_Rose, let's snog so we don't have to hear this anymore, what'd ya say?_ He thought to her.

_Fine by me!_

They laughed when Jack noticed them getting up and walking away.

"Where are you two going?" he said.

"For a snog because we're bored and anything is better than listening to your insane tale. See you all after awhile. We'll be in the TARDIS."

"Fine! Be that way!" he said when they opened the front door and closed it behind them.

"What a brilliant idea. Come, love, let's join them!"

Jack noticed the Doctor and Rain getting up. He ran over and pressed down on their bodies.

"So anyway," he said trying to keep them down, "the clones fought long and hard and finally succeeded in defeating Mukluk and Christmas was saved, the end."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief and the Doctor and Rain stopped trying to get up and lay back down while Jack walked back to Ianto.

"Thanks, Jack. That was long and pointless and kept those of us who need to sleep up unnecessarily so we'll all be tired tomorrow. We'll be sure to return the favor the next time you wanna go to bed ahead of everyone else," Ianto said.

The Doctor reached out to his brother's mind.

_He's shut up now if you two wanna come back inside, _he thought to him.

_Already? Bugger, we're getting undressed. Ah well, we'll be back in eventually just in case he starts another story or wants a singsong or something. We'll talk to you later, Brother. _

_Have fun,_ he thought before leaving them alone.

The non-Time Lords and Ladies, except for Jack, yawned and snuggled down under their blankets, closing their eyes while they drifted off to sleep. The ones who were left looked at each other.

_We could always play cards in the kitchen,_ the Doctor thought to his family.

They nodded and slowly got up. Jack followed them and they all tiptoed into the kitchen while the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

For a few hours, the family played poker and euchre at Sarah Jane's kitchen table. The Doctor taught his daughter how to play both and was pleased when she learned the games quickly. While they played, they held a silent conversation in their minds, laughing and joking and being raucous without fear of waking anyone else. Jack was thrilled when he finally got the hang of the telepathy and even successfully did a block with the Doctor as a test. The Doctor congratulated him back in his mind and Jack smiled at that knowing that he could finally be in on what they had been doing all along.

After about three hours, the Doctor felt Alan and Rose let their blocks down.

Are you two coming back inside? He though to them.

Yes, we are.

Okay, be careful. Everyone's asleep except for us and we're all playing cards in the kitchen.

Gotcha.

Ten minutes later, they saw them quietly enter the kitchen and walk up to them.

Did you have fun? The Doctor asked them.

Yup, we did, Alan thought back. Are there any more chairs?

Might be some in the living room.

Alan nodded to Rose and they went to check. They came back in a moment later carrying a couple of chairs. Awinita and Mingxia scooted over and they sat down beside Jenny.

Are you in the middle of a hand? Alan thought.

Yeah, Awinita thought back. We're about done though, Bro.

Take your time. He said as he and Rose settled back in their chairs.

Alan smiled when he noticed Jenny was playing along with them.

Didn't take you too long to figure out this game, Jen, he thought to her.

She smiled.

No, I like it actually and euchre as well.

She's quite the expert, the Doctor thought to them. She's been winning a few rounds lately.

Good, I'm glad, Alan thought proudly.

He glanced at Jack.

Nice to know the silly story stopped in our absence, he teased him.

Jack grinned.

Well, I was in danger of losing the other couple so I figured I better cut it short, he thought back.

Alan raised his eyebrows.

You're getting the hang of the telepathy, I see.

"Yup, I finally figured out how to do it. It's coming in pretty handy considering we have a bunch of people asleep in the next room.

Yeah, we've been pretty loud in our minds, Awinita thought. You guys missed out.

I know but we tried to make the best of a bad situation, eh Starlight?

She laughed.

Yeah, it was a chore making love to him, but I gritted my teeth and bore it in a stoic silence.

They laughed in each other's minds.

"Are you guys still awake?"

They all looked over when they heard Martha whispering to them.

"Yes, we are," the Doctor said.

"I was just wondering. It's so quiet in here," she whispered as she came into the room.

"We've been talking to each other telepathically," Donna whispered back.

"Oh! God, you guys are lucky. I'd love to be able to do that."

She put her hands on the Doctor's shoulders and leaned in.

"Are you playing poker?" she whispered.

They nodded.

"Can I join in?"

They nodded.

"There's another chair out in the living room, Martha," Alan whispered.

"Thanks, I'll be right back," she whispered back.

She went out of the room and returned a moment later with the chair. Jack and Donna made room and she sat down between them.

"Thanks, mates," she whispered.

"Can't you sleep?" the Doctor asked her.

"Not very well. The floor's a bit hard. I'm not that tired anyway," she whispered.

Jack let out a soft cheer when he won. The Doctor gathered up the cards and began to shuffle them.

"So…" he said while he shuffled, "when are you and Tom gonna get married? I mean, we keep on waiting for you to set a date and you never do."

Martha sighed.

"I know and he wants to get married but he's been so busy with the Doctors Without Borders in South Africa and he can't get away from there long enough to get married. We will and as soon as we set a date, I'll call and tell you, I promise."

She took her cards and studied them. Everyone talked quietly while they played. Eventually both Martha and Jack went back in the other room to go to sleep and they resumed their silent conversation while they got the monopoly game from the living room and played that.

The hours stretched on while they talked and laughed and joked inside their heads and before long they noticed the sky was beginning to lighten outside. They were on their second round of Scrabble when Sarah Jane came in the kitchen to start the turkey. She paused and smiled at them.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Good morning," they said in unison.

"Are you playing games?" she asked.

"Yeah, we've played cards, Monopoly and Scrabble," the Doctor said softly.

"Are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast?"

They nodded.

"Okay, let me get the turkey in the oven and then I'll fix you a little something since you've been up all night."

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After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and toast with milk and juice, they went back in the other room where the others were waking up. Everyone said Merry Christmas and helped take the pillows and blankets back in the spare room while Luke, Clyde and Rani took theirs back to Luke's room. Sarah Jane fixed the rest of them breakfast. When she was finished and they had their plates filled with food and glasses of milk and juice. They went back into the living room and sat down on the couch, chairs and floor.

"Okay, Alan, so what's this Christmas Rhumba since I'm sure you're dying to show it to us," Donna said, sitting down in a chair.

He looked around at everyone.

"Well, like I said, we were in a hotel in Albuquerque for Christmas and I wanted to make the day special so I decided to start a holiday tradition since I was planning that morning to make Awinita my sister and the first adopted member of my family.

He looked around at the rest of them.

"And my, how the family's grown since then, hard to believe it wasn't that long ago," he said as Rose nodded in agreement. "Anyway, this is what I did to mark the first Christmas that I and Rose and Awinita shared."

He grinned when Rose and Awinita got the giggles again, got up and walked to the front of the room. He looked around at the expectant faces and then took a deep breath.

"I MUST DO THE CHRISTMAS RHUMBA!" he screamed.

Rose and Awinita howled with laughter and everyone else stared at him in an amused silence when he kicked his legs out and did his funny dance and ended it with the bunny hop in a circle.

"There ya go! Let Christmas commence!" he said, walking back to the couch.

The three teens were sprawled out on the floor laughing uncontrollably while the rest of them watched him sit down with amused grins on their faces.

"Yes, everyone, this is what life was like being on the road with Alan," Rose said when she could get her breath back.

Sarah Jane walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

"You are such a joy to have around. I'm glad you're not like your brother. Please don't ever change, whatever you do," she said.

"I won't, Sarah," he said hugging her back.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and chuckling, went to get their stockings. Alan glanced at Donna.

"Worth the wait?" he asked her.

"I only wish I had a sodding camera with me, that's all I'll say," she said, while they laughed. "It looked like you were trying to do the Monty Python silly walk in the middle of an epileptic seizure. If that's your Christmas tradition, I'll leave you to it, Sunshine."

Sarah Jane came back in the room and began handing out stockings to everyone. She gave Jenny a purple one and smiled at her.

"I don't know what you like because your dad said you weren't sure yet of your likes and dislikes, so I got you what I thought a young woman might like, so forgive me if you don't like something I got."

"I will like it, Sarah Jane, just because it's a gift from you."

She smiled and cupped her cheeks for a moment before going to get another bunch of stockings.

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The Doctor and Rain looked at her gifts once she pulled them all out. There was some makeup, perfume, a little romance novel, an orange, an apple and a little golden angel bracelet that the Doctor had suggested getting for her. Jenny looked at his stuff. There was a pocket stargazing book, a couple of neckties, a yo-yo, a rubber duck dressed as an astronaut, the apple, orange and some boiled sweets. Jenny picked up the duck and giggled, thinking how cute it was. She gave it back to him and sprayed a bit of perfume on her wrist. She sniffed it, loving the smell. She gasped when Jack reared up and snorted the scent before winking at her and sitting back down. Jenny giggled and swatted his head while Jack looked at Ianto and chuckled with him.

She looked at the perfume her mother had gotten and opened it up to take a whiff. While she did, Alan wandered over and stared down at her stuff. Jenny leaned back so he could see and her eyes widened when he grabbed her apple and orange and took it back to his seat.

"Hey!" she said, laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I figured you might not want these. My apologies," he said with a mischievous grin.

He put them back and held up the eye shadow.

"Can I have this?"

"No."

"Blast. I want more stuff."

Jenny laughed. Alan looked at the Doctor's things.

"You're amassing quite a collection of yo-yo's," he said pointing to it.

"I know. What did you get?

"The same as you except I got a wristwatch and some cologne instead of the neckties and yo-yo ."

"You're not gonna have anything in a moment, Bro," Rain said.

Alan glanced at Rain and looked back to see Jack was moving in on it.

"Oi!" he said.

Everyone laughed when Jack sprinted away before he could get a hold of him. He put his hands over his stuff while Jack walked back and sat back down next to Ianto. Everyone thanked Sarah Jane and she smiled warmly at them.

"Luke, love, will you play Santa Claus and pass out presents?" she said.

"Sure, mum," Luke said.

"Wait a tic, Sarah, we gotta get our presents out here," the Doctor said.

They went to the spare room and brought them out. They quickly took them out of the bags and arranged them under the tree before they sat back down in their spots. Sarah Jane nodded at Luke and he began to pass out the presents.

Dad? Jenny thought.

He looked at her.

Yes?

Will they like what I got them? She thought nervously.

He smiled.

They'll love it, Angel, I promise.

He squeezed her shoulder and felt her relax. He and his wife watched with smiles noticing how shocked she was when she saw how many gifts she was getting. She looked up at him.

I…I didn't think I was getting this many, just one or two, she thought.

He smiled.

Everyone knows this is your first Christmas. They wanted to make it special for you, he thought back.

I love it, Dad. I love being here.

He smiled.

I'm glad, my Angel. I'm glad you're happy.

The Doctor felt her throwing up a block around his mind and he did the same for her.

What is it? He asked.

It'll always be like this, won't it?

Like what, my Joy?

Brief moments of happiness in between the danger and monsters?

The Doctor sensed her fear at thinking that but also there was an undercurrent of excitement knowing that there would be more thrilling times to come. He smiled and sent a wave of love into her mind.

Yes, my heartbeats, it will always be like this for as long as you and I draw breath. Are you afraid of what might come in the future and what might happen to us and happen to me and your mother?

A little, but I would rather have a life like this than a normal life sitting around doing nothing.

He smiled at that.

Same here, Jenny, same here.

She smiled when Luke handed her another gift.

Are you happy, Dad? She thought to him.

I'm happier than I've ever been in my 1200 years of life, my precious daughter. I have you, your mother and family and friends around me. I am very, very happy.

Good, because that's what I want your Christmas gift to be. Happiness and peace and I would be so happy if you got that for the rest of your lives.

The Doctor felt his eyes mist over and he sent loving feelings into her mind while he thanked the universe for granting him the merciful gift of her in his life.

I love you, Daddy, she thought to him.

I love you too, Angel, and I always will, no matter what happens.

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After opening their presents, Sarah Jane helped get Rani and Clyde's new games, clothes and sweets together so they could go to their houses. Both of them hugged everyone and wished them a Merry Christmas.

"This is gonna feel weird for you when you have to go through it again," Rani said to Jack when she got done hugging him.

"Tell me about it. The year we had two Christmases. But it's not the weirdest thing that's ever happened."

"I hate that you were attacked by some evil woman with my name. I can't believe she has my name, ugh."

"Well, you're nothing like her and I prefer your company to hers any day. You be careful out there when you help Sarah Jane fight monsters."

"You too," she said, giving him one last hug.

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After they left, they gathered up their gifts into more bags so they wouldn't get stepped on or broken while Luke took his video game cartridges, clothes, board games and soccer ball up to his room. The Doctor and Rain helped Jenny fold up her new clothes and put them in the bag. The Doctor had gotten her a golden angel necklace to match her bracelet and she was wearing that around her neck now along with the bracelet and a ring from Alan that had her birthstone, ruby, cut into a heart shape like her mother's ring. She also got some more novels, some sweets, some more makeup and a small purse with some money in it. She also got a little porcelain doll from Jack that resembled her.

"Do you like everything?" the Doctor asked softly.

"Yes, I love it all."

He smiled.

"Good."

They finished putting everything in the bag and the Doctor took his and Rain's bags and they walked out to the TARDIS.

"Thank you for the necklace, I love it," Jenny said.

He smiled as he sat the bags down and unlocked the door.

"Good, I'm glad, it looks perfect on you," he said, opening it. "Thank you for the science books. I haven't read any of them before and I'll enjoy reading them."

He gave her hand a squeeze and they took their things inside.

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After presents were opened, they all relaxed awhile while Sarah Jane cooked their dinner. All of them were happy and content and slightly tired while they sat on the couch and chairs or stretched out on the floor. Jack lay on the floor by the couch smiling while he stared at the huge family portrait they had given Sarah Jane. He was in the back row with the Doctor, Alan, Rain and Rose and sitting in front of them were Donna, Awinita, Mingxia and Jenny, all of them smiling broadly. He grinned, remembering how thrilled she had been when she opened it up and looked at it. They also had to go back to Xerxes and get her another pendent and the parts they needed since those were lost when the Rani captured them. She wore the pendant proudly and it glowed a soft pink underneath her white cotton t-shirt. He glanced over at his team and noticed that the women had their eyes closed while Ianto started his new spy thriller and Mickey sat and stared out the window, lost in contemplation. The others were sitting and talking quietly to each other. He smiled at the Doctor who was sitting with Rain while Jenny sat beside his legs.

Merry Christmas, buddy, he thought to him.

The Doctor smiled at that.

Merry Christmas, Jack, he thought back.

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They ate around 1:30 in the afternoon. They had turkey, roast potatoes, stuffing and Brussels sprouts with tea and Christmas pudding and custard for desert. While they ate, Sarah Jane brought out a bunch of Christmas crackers for them. They took turns pulling them open. Jenny watched while her parents grabbed the ends of a gold one and pulled. It came apart with a loud pop and they leaned in to see what she got. The Doctor laughed when she held up the prize, a shoe horn.

"Great, now I can put my shoes on," she said as they laughed.

"You wanna trade with me?" Jack said. "I got a little mirror…and don't you say anything about me being vain and needing it, Doctor!"

They laughed and Rain exchanged the gifts and put her purple paper crown on her head. It was the Doctor's turn next and they selected a white one. Rain pulled with him and when it came apart the Doctor made a face when he picked up a pink paper crown.

"Rose! This is yours!" he said, handing it to her.

"No! That's yours, Doctor!" she said, pushing his hand away.

They laughed when he put it on his head and looked at his prize, a pair of tweezers.

"Wow!" he said, "just what I've wanted!"

"Yeah, now you can pluck those unsightly nose hairs, love," Rain said, grabbing it and menacing his nose.

They laughed when the Doctor feigned terror and ducked under the table.

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After supper all of them helped clean up before they settled back down in the living room with some egg nog. They were all still wearing their paper crowns on their head and the Doctor smiled at Jenny's red one, loving the happy expression on her face.

"That was delicious, Sarah Jane," Jack said as everyone murmured agreement.

"Thanks, Jack."

"And the best part, "the Doctor said. "I didn't have to fight bloody aliens and monsters this year."

"No killer Christmas trees and Sycorax ships," Rose said to him.

"No killer Christmas ornaments and big gigantic spiders under the Thames," Donna added.

"No doomed space liners plummeting towards London with out of control angel robots on board," Alan finished up.

"Nope, none of that. Just a wonderful, relaxing Christmas holiday," the Doctor said.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to give all of you a break from saving the world and the universe," Sarah Jane said. "I know I needed a break as well. It's exhausting protecting humanity."

"That it is," Jack said. "But entirely worth it, keeping our home safe from alien threats."

"Speaking of, what's next on your agenda?" Sarah Jane asked the Doctor.

He chuckled.

"I suppose we'll go wherever the wild vortex winds take us," he said. "Me and my family in our TARDIS turned people carrier."

They laughed.

"I guess we could pop back over the void and say hello to Rain's family and let Jenny meet them. And if you guys wanna go with us for a quick trip, we can do that as well," the Doctor said, looking at Jack.

"We better stop at mum's too so they can also meet Jenny," Rose said.

"Plus, we still have to get the stuff we sent back while we were on our trip," Alan said.

"Sarah, you and Luke wanna pop over there and say hello?"

"We can," she said as Luke let out a "Yes!"

"Okay, well, as soon as Wilf comes and goes, why don't we do that then?" the Doctor said.

They nodded and all of them made small talk while they sipped their egg nog.

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Wilf came about an hour later. Sarah Jane met him at the door, hugged him and gave him some egg nog while he sat down beside Donna. They chatted with him while he drank.

"So, did all of you have a nice Christmas?" he asked.

They nodded.

"Good. We didn't do much this morning. Sylvia and I just exchanged gifts and had some turkey with the trimmings. Afterwards, I came over here to see all of you. I'm glad all of you are well. You know, I do worry."

"Aw, you shouldn't, Granddad. We take care of each other," Donna said.

"I know you do but that doesn't mean I can't worry about your safety. I've seen the kinds of things you go up against. I have every right to worry especially since all of you are so young."

"I'm not," the Doctor said.

Wilf frowned.

"You're still pretty young, Doctor."

They laughed.

"No, Wilf, this is the face I got when I regenerated. I'm over 1200 years old now so I'm not that young."

Wilf stared at him.

"You're over 1200 years old?"

"Don't feel bad, Doc. I'm older than that now!" Jack said.

The Doctor frowned.

"I thought you were a little over 150 years old, Jack?"

"Well, that's before my brother got a hold of me and had me buried alive for almost 1900 years."

Everyone except his team let out a gasp.

"What?" the Doctor said, horrified, "when did that happen?"

"Well, the burial took place in 27 A.D. but it all started several months ago when my brother, Gray, came back. That's when Tosh and Owen were killed by him. I was found by Torchwood in 1901 because my former lover threw a ring in with me that gave off a signal they traced. Then I asked them to put me in cryostasis until the present day. But yes, because of that, I'm nearly as old as you are now, old friend."

All of them were stunned.

"Wait, how did you survive being buried that long?" Wilf said.

"I'm immortal. I can die but I come right back to life so I basically spent nine hundred years dying and coming back to life and dying again."

Rain took the Doctor's hands when she saw all the color drain from her husband's face. She glanced at her brother and saw that both he and Rose were enraged along with the rest of the family.

"And where exactly is this brother of yours now?" Alan growled.

"He's in cryostasis in the Hub. I couldn't kill him. He was driven insane and he wasn't in control of his actions, not really, but he's asleep and not a threat to anyone now."

Alan put up a block around the Doctor's mind.

God, Brother, I can't believe this happened to him. How did he get through it with his sanity intact?

I have no clue. Jack's got a hell of a lot of strength, physically and mentally. The cryostasis might have helped restore his mind, but still…this is why this immortality is something that never should have happened. It's unnatural and Jack suffered because of it.

He still hasn't said what the Rani did to him, has he?

No, but I shudder to think what we'll hear when he does tell because I have a feeling it's just as horrifying as this.

They took down the block and the Doctor spoke to Rain telepathically assuring her he was alright. Rain nodded and squeezed his hands before letting go.

Jack noticed the somber mood and smiled.

"Guys, come on, don't do this. I'm fine, really. I lived through it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I didn't mean to upset all of you; I was just explaining why I'm not a spring chicken like the Doctor. So please don't let it ruin the wonderful day, alright?"

They nodded but Rain sensed a lingering anger from her family and feelings of guilt from her husband. She couldn't understand why he felt guilty other than perhaps feeling like he should have been there to stop it somehow. She threw up the block around his mind and communicated this to him. He stared at her sadly and nodded, confirming her suspicions. Rain's hearts ached knowing that he was adding another undeserved burden to his already heavy load of guilt. She loved that her husband cared so much for his family and friends that he wanted to do everything in his power to protect them but she hated that he kept finding ways to beat himself up and feel guilty when there was no need to. The Doctor, sensing her anguish, kissed her cheek and silently apologized to her for feeling guilty and upsetting her.

I know there was nothing I could have done to prevent that from happening, Latara, he thought to her. But old habits die hard and Jack is one of my closest friends. I hate that happened to him and if there was any way I could have prevented it, I would have. Don't be upset with me, this is just another example of your daft husband's deep seated neuroses that still need to be worked out of his system for good.

Jack noticed the Doctor nuzzling Rain's cheek and the heartbroken look in her eyes at the same time he realized they were blocking their minds from him.

Guys, I'm sorry, he thought to them. I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't be upset. I'm fine now, really.

Rain managed a smile along with her husband. The Doctor gave her hand a squeeze and stroked her mind while the two of them settled back on the sofa. Jack, eager to lighten the mood, quickly switched tactics and told a couple of jokes before he talked about something lighthearted.

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After a couple of hours, Wilf said his goodbyes to everyone and hugged Donna tightly.

"You take care of yourself and everyone else. Make sure you all look after each other."

"We will, Granddad, we always do," Donna said.

Wilf shook his head.

"Your skin is so cool now, Sweetheart."

She chuckled.

"That's because I'm a Time Lady. Gallifreyan's internal body temperature is 60 degrees."

"Well, no wonder you feel like ice, Donna. Still, at least you didn't turn blue or purple and grow feelers when you became an alien."

Donna laughed.

"Yeah, but I love being this way. I feel more alive now than I ever was as a human. And I have the love of my family and friends to see me through everything."

"I'm glad, Sweetheart. They're all good people, every single one of them. Although, that poor Jack, being buried alive like that."

Donna shook her head and lowered her eyes.

"None of us knew about that and I think it hit the Doctor the hardest of all. I could see how upset he was when he said it. I thought he was gonna pass out for a moment, as white as he became. That's one of the bad habits Jack and the Doctor have. They keep stuff like that inside because they figure that no one can help them or should help them shoulder it. The Doctor's actually gotten better at that, opening up to us and to Rain especially, but I think Jack needs to learn it too."

Wilf nodded.

"Well, you just keep at em, my Shining Star. All of you need each other so much and you can all heal one another from whatever horrors you see or have seen."

Donna nodded.

"We'll do that, Granddad, I promise. All of us are giving the Doctor and Jack a soft place to land now and thankfully they are starting to take advantage of it."

Wilf nodded. He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek before he went back into the living room and said his final goodbyes to everyone. After that, Donna helped walk him out to his car and waved goodbye to him while he drove off.

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Luke sat on the jump seat in the TARDIS with Sarah Jane while the six family members piloted the TARDIS. Mingxia and Awinita leaned against a support column talking with Jack. Sarah Jane chuckled.

"I see you now have over six people to help you fly the TARDIS," she said to the Doctor.

"Yup, I have my own flight crew now," he said, glancing back at her. "Hang on; we're going across the void."

They felt some slight turbulence for a minute and then the TARDIS calmed down.

"Here we are in another universe," the Doctor said.

"Seriously?" Luke said.

"Oh yeah, we're in a parallel universe at this very moment."

"Brilliant," Luke replied.

"I'll call dad, love," Rain said to the Doctor.

She pulled out her mobile and called him while the others walked away from the console and took a rest. She sat beside Sarah Jane and chatted while the Doctor stood nearby waiting to hear what date it was so he could set the coordinates. He grinned when he listened to her talking about being a mother.

"Yes, Dad, I'm now a wife and a mother to the Doctor's daughter, Jenny, and we wanted to bring her to meet you. Plus, we have Sarah Jane, and Luke, and Jack, and Ianto, and Gwen, and Mickey and Martha with us. So we wanted to know what day it was so we could come by and say hello and let you meet her."

There was a pause.

"It's April 7th, 2009 at 1:36 in the afternoon."

"We're on our way," the Doctor said, moving to the console.

"We're coming, Dad. The Doctor's putting in the date now. Okay…we'll see you in a few minutes then. I love you. Bye."

She hung up and put her mobile back in her pocket while the Doctor finished putting in the coordinates.

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Luke kept looking around him while they walked up to Rain's old house not wanting to believe they were in an entirely different universe. Rain walked ahead of them and knocked on the front door. It opened and she hugged her dad while everyone else came up on the porch. John looked at each of them. His eyes settled on the brothers who were standing next to each other.

"Okay, Rainshower, which one is your husband?" he said as they laughed.

"That would be me," the Doctor said, stepping forward.

"Just remember, Dad. Mine is the one who wears the suits," Rain said.

"I see. But what happens when he doesn't wear a suit?"

Everyone laughed at that.

"Um, Dad…ever since he got the TARDIS back, he's only worn something besides the suits once and that's when we were in Japan. Other than that, this is his standard outfit here."

"Japan? You went back to Japan again?"

"Yeah, but this time it was 1510."

His eyes widened.

"You were in the year 1510?"

She nodded.

"Wow, come inside and tell me more then while I meet this new daughter of yours."

He ushered everyone inside.

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They sat in John's kitchen drinking tea and coffee and chatting. Much to the Doctor's relief, Amber was away at classes. Even though she had behaved herself at the meet and greet and the wedding, he still was wary of her since he could sense some lingering animosity and jealousy and he didn't want his wife and daughter around her. Jenny sat between him and Rain and John was talking to her, listening to her story.

"So, not only was your brother born from your hand but your daughter too," John said when he finished. "Are you planning to make more family members this way?"

They all laughed.

"I hope not, John," he said. "I don't think my hands can take much more."

"She's beautiful and I'm glad she lived and you found her again. A young lady like this isn't cut out for a soldier's life. She needs to be a young woman."

"I agree," the Doctor said.

"So, not meaning to pry but are you going to try for a biological child?"

"I don't know if we're capable," the Doctor said. "Supposedly, I'm sterile and since she's Gallifreyan now, she may be sterile as well."

"Are there any tests you can take to determine that for sure?"

"I suppose so, but at the moment it's not a good time to have a baby since we have a very stressful, dangerous life. Jenny's in her early twenties and she can handle herself but any baby we had would be vulnerable, so I'd rather just wait or possibly adopt another child."

John nodded.

"I understand and I'm glad you are level headed enough to know that the baby would be in danger now. At least you have Jenny to love and I'm so glad you brought her here so I could meet her. Exactly how many are in your family now though?"

"Nine."

"You have nine people traveling with you?"

"Well, actually, Jack over here won't travel with us since he is responsible for all these people. But we adopted him because he's a very dear friend and has been like a brother to me. But he can't travel full time with us. Everyone else will be with us though."

"I hope that spaceship of yours is big enough."

"Oh, it's more than enough. It would probably fit 50,000 people comfortably. We all have more than enough space."

"Good, because I have a feeling you're not done adding people since every time I see you there's two or three more brothers and sisters with you and now you're finding daughters so I expect you're gonna find a son next?" he teased.

Rain glanced at him when he didn't reply and saw a wistful look in his eyes. John gave his daughter a confused look.

"He did have a son, Dad," she said.

"Oh, well, perhaps he's alive too?"

The Doctor shook his head.

"No, he was on Gallifrey. I said goodbye to him just before I had to destroy it," he said quietly.

Rain took his hand and squeezed it.

"Forgive me, Doctor. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

He smiled sadly.

"It's alright, you didn't know. But I seriously doubt my son left the planet before it burnt. Which is unfortunate since we keep running into other Time Lords who are evil and want nothing more than to make my life hell. But if he is alive somewhere it'll be a miracle."

"You never know, Doctor. You found all these other people, maybe you'll find him too."

He smiled and nodded.

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"It was nice to see you again, John," Alan said, hugging him.

"You too, Alan. Take care of yourself and Rose and the rest of your family. I expect the next time you come here they'll be at least fifteen more brothers and sisters?"

They all laughed.

"Well, gee, we have all these people back here and there are a few more we know, plus we could go look up all the Doctor's old companions and add them, so it is possible."

John chuckled and hugged the Doctor.

"Take care of yourself and thank you for letting me meet your daughter."

"My pleasure. And I'll look after your daughter as always."

"Good. I know she's in good hands with you. Have a safe journey."

"We will and you take care as well."

He nodded. He hugged each person in turn wishing them a safe trip and saying his goodbyes. When they were done, he walked with them to the TARDIS and stood there watching while it disappeared in front of him.

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"I'll get it, Jacks!" Pete said when he heard the doorbell.

He opened the door.

"Hiya, Pete, how ya doin?" the Doctor said.

He stared at him and then saw Alan standing behind him.

"Doctor, it's good to see you again. And everyone else. Come in. Jackie and I were just going out for the evening but we have time to chat."

"Thanks, Pete, because I wanted you to meet someone."

"Really? Who?"

The Doctor took hold of Jenny's hand.

"This is my daughter."

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Pete and Jackie sat on the couch listening to the Doctor explain Jenny's story. Alan played with Tony and tickled him while the other women fawned over him.

"So you have another cloned person?" Pete said when he finished.

"Well, yes and no, everyone keeps saying she's cloned but really they took my genetic information, scrambled it around and made a whole new person. So she's really not a clone, she just grew from a single parent."

"And you came out looking the way you are now?" Pete asked.

Jenny nodded.

"And she's traveling with you now?" Jackie said.

"Yes. And Rain has adopted her so she has both a mum and a dad."

"Oh sweetie, that was nice of you especially since you're so young yourself," Jackie said, looking at her.

Rain shrugged.

"That doesn't matter, I'm happy to be her mother," she replied. "Besides, I'm married to the father so it makes sense to be her mother."

Pete looked at Alan.

"What about you? Are you also her father?"

"Technically, but I told her to think of me as her uncle and Rose as her aunt so she doesn't get confused.

Pete nodded.

"Well, I'm glad he brought you to see us and you are welcome here, Jenny."

"Thank you."

Jackie looked at Alan.

"You still want your things?"

"Yes, we wanted to get our stuff moved out."

"Okay, they're sitting up in Rose's bedroom."

Jack glanced at his team.

"We can help you move them, Alan."

"Yeah, I'll help too," Awinita said.

"Me too," Mingxia added.

"And me," said Donna.

"I'll sit here on my rump in the meantime and watch ya work," the Doctor said.

He grinned when they laughed.

"Nah, I'm havin' ya on. I'll help."

He and Rain and Jenny stood up and all of them headed upstairs while Jackie quickly grabbed hold of Tony.

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"Well, it was good seeing you again," Pete said after they carried the boxes into Alan and Rose's bedroom and came back inside. "I hate to cut the visit short but we did have plans."

"That's fine. We just wanted to show Jenny to you."

Pete smiled and hugged her.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"And you," she replied.

Jackie came up with a plastic container.

"I have some biscuits for you that Florence, our cook, made last night. I'd like you to have some. They're oatmeal raisin."

"Thank you, Jackie," Jenny said.

She hugged her.

"Don't be a stranger, yeah? And I'm glad you found your father again."

"Me too," she said as the Doctor put a hand on her shoulder.

They took turns hugging everyone.

"It's good to see you again, love. I'm glad you're safe," Jackie said to Rose.

"I am, mum. They take very good care of me and it's good to see you again as well."

"Be sure to come back for your birthday so we can fix supper for ya," she said.

Rose nodded and gave her another tight hug. She walked over and hugged Alan.

"Take care of yourself and look after Rose."

"I will on both counts."

She hugged Mickey.

"It's good to see you again. I'm glad you got a job and are getting yourself sorted out in the other universe."

"Thanks Jackie, it's good to see you again. Take care."

"You too, love."

They finished hugging and Alan hugged Tony extra tight.

"I'll see you around, little Pollywog," he said. "I'm glad you figured out I'm Alan now."

"Bye bye, Awan," he said.

He gave him a kiss on the cheek and passed him on to Rose who gave him another hug and a kiss. After she finished, Jackie took him and held him in her arms while they waved goodbye and headed back to the TARDIS.

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The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief while he slumped down in the captain's chair. They had finished dropping everyone off and it was back down to the original 8 inhabitants. Everyone was getting settled back in and getting showers or just resting. The Doctor put his hands behind his head and put his feet up on the rim of the console listening to the rotor while it oscillated. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking a moment to savor the feel of his family's minds in his own before he slipped off to sleep and recover from the past two days.

He slept for about an hour and a half and when he woke he saw Rain was sleeping beside him with her head on his shoulder. He gazed at her lovingly and smiled when she opened her eyes.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I wasn't really asleep. I was just resting beside you and keeping you company, love."

He smiled and held her close. Rain put her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeats while he nuzzled her hair.

"Thete, do you think there might be a chance your son is still alive?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"I don't know, I'd love to think that Dex is alive, but if he is, he's in another dimension or made himself human like the Master did because I can't feel him. I doubt that he is alive, Latara."

"Well, you never know. You thought Jenny was dead until the Shadow Proclamation told you otherwise."

He nodded and kissed her lips. He cuddled close to her and closed his eyes, resting alongside the woman he loved while he tried to think of the next exciting place to take them next.

THE END.

A/N: The series continues in Terror of the Crystal Caves.


End file.
